2008 Olympics: Chinese National Team Breakdown

To describe organized baseball in China as "nascent" would be an understatement, but as the host nation, the Chinese National Team received an automatic bid to the Olympics. Jim Lefebvre is at the helm for the Chinese, and he probably summed up his team's medal prospects best when he told ESPN The Magazine, "We'are about Low-A level, but we're improving."

MLB has been working with China to develop baseball there since 2003, even staging an exhibition game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres earlier this year in Beijing. For a hilarious and insightful take on what it's like going to a baseball game in China, read this report from Red Leg Nation. Funny, funny stuff.

The truth is, I have no idea who's playing for China in the Olympics this year. Whether it's because their government is shrouded in secrecy or because no one thinks their roster is newsworthy, I can't find a single report on what to expect from the Chinese National Team.

China finished 15th in the 2006 WBC; they've never finished higher than 10th in the World Baseball Cup. They did actually medal in the Asian Baseball Championship in 2005, bringing home the bronze.

But the real goal here isn't a medal. The goal, especially for MLB, is to continue baseball's expansion as a national sport in the most populated country in the world. It's economic, folks. There's a growing middle class with money to spend. Somewhere, Branch Rickey is smiling.