The new visual identity of the Under-23 World Cup features the silhouette of a baseball bat handle at the base.

The elements at the top of the emblem include the iconic baseball and red stitching, placed inside a hand, while the middle section is said to highlight the diverse action, energy and excitement of the ball, being caught, hit or thrown.

The overall silhouette of the emblem reflects the trophy of the Under-23 trophy, which a dozen countries will be out to win in order to secure the 690 world ranking points on offer.

Among them are world number one ranked Japan who are joined by fellow Asian nations South Korea and Chinese Taipei.

Hosts Mexico are one of five representatives of the Americas along with Venezuela, Panama, Nicaragua and Argentina, while Australia are flying the flag for Oceania.

Completing the 12-strong line-up is South Africa and European nations Czech Republic and Austria.

"With all five Olympic continents represented and the top nations vying for the world title, the Under-23 Baseball World Cup 2016 will further showcase our sport's global reach and competition levels," said WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari.

"This tournament will award the most world ranking points on the 2016 international calendar, so each game will be exciting and impactful."

The Under-23 World Cup logo is the latest to be revealed within the Baseball World Cup new and unified branding system.

The design project, which will include the "Official Look", is being overseen by leading international sports branding agency, The Works, who have also rolled out the official looks for top sports properties from FIFA and UEFA.

The first-ever Under-23 World Cup is an expansion of the under-21 version, which was launched in 2014 and won by Chinese Taipei.

National teams for the event two years ago included players from clubs affiliated to the Australian Baseball League, Chinese Professional Baseball League, Korean Baseball Organization, Major League Baseball, Mexican Baseball League, Nicaraguan Professional Baseball League, and Nippon Professional Baseball.

The Estadio de Béisbol Monterrey will be the highest capacity stadium at the World Cup, with the 27,000 seat venue due to take centre stage during the competition.

Matches are also scheduled to be held at the Parque Hundido UANL and Unidad Deportiva Alfonso Martinez Dominguez stadiums, which have been undergoing renovations and upgrades to meet international standards.

The Official Look, tournament identity, and trophy and medals are due to be revealed in the coming weeks.

Baseball is now a fully fledged Olympic sport again after being reinstated for Tokyo 2020.

It has been dropped from the programme after the Beijing 2008 Games.