There was some speculation that Mexico might pull out of the Premier 12 before it began.

But the team is playing in it. It survived the Taiwan rounds and made the trip to Tokyo for the final-four rounds.

And look who's leading the team — Mike Brito, a legendary international scout who delivered numerous Latin players to the Los Angeles Dodgers, including eventual Cy Young Award winner Fernando Valenzuela and slugger Yasiel Puig.