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Spring training opens next week and the World Baseball Classic is exactly a month away. Pool play (i.e. first round) begins Wednesday, March 4, when Australia takes on Chinese Taipei at the Tokyo Dome. All 20 teams will be in action by Friday, March 6. The Championship Game is scheduled for Tuesday, March 17, at loanDepot Park in Miami. <\/p>\n
The full WBC rosters will be revealed during an MLB Network broadcast at 7 p.m. ET this Thursday. We do have a pretty good idea who will suit up for most teams, however, especially USA<\/a><\/span>. It is the most stacked roster they’ve ever had. Japan, the defending WBC champs, will again contend for the title even with Shohei Ohtani<\/a> hitting only and not pitching<\/a><\/span>. <\/p>\n Here now are super early power rankings of the 20 teams in this year’s World Baseball Classic. We’ll revisit these rankings again as the get closer to the tournament and have a more complete picture of each team’s roster. <\/p>\n 20. Czech Republic With all due respect, these five clubs aren’t serious WBC title contenders. They’re growing the game in their home countries and that’s a great thing, though they are short on talent. Great Britain is expected to have\u00a0Jazz Chisholm Jr.<\/a>\u00a0and Harry Ford<\/a> on their roster, making them the most talented club in this tier. Props to the Czech Republic for their stunning win over China in 2023<\/a>. That clinched them a spot in the 2026 WBC. Brazil, Chinese Taipei, and Nicaragua all secured WBC spots via last year’s qualifying events.<\/p>\n 15. Australia Australia will be led by Guardians<\/a> prospect Travis Bazzana<\/a>, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 Draft, and Panama can send Ariel Jurado<\/a> to the mound a few times. He’s been one of the top pitchers in Korea the last three years. An upset loss to Great Britain in 2023 forced Colombia to go through last year’s qualifying event to secure a spot in the 2026 WBC. Veterans Jose Quintana<\/a> and Julio Teheran<\/a> give them a credible rotation, though they lack offense.\u00a0 <\/p>\n The Netherlands is one of the most fun and energetic teams every WBC. They just don’t have the pitching to support a lineup that includes Ozzie Albies<\/a>, Xander Bogaerts<\/a>, and Ceddanne Rafaela<\/a>. At least we’ll get to say “Honkbal Hoofdklasse” for a few days. That’s the highest level of professional baseball in the Netherlands. Depending on their final roster, Israel has a case for being in the next tier in these rankings, though their 2023 showing underwhelmed. The five teams here have enough talent to be a headache and win some games, but not enough to win the whole thing. <\/p>\n 10. Cuba<\/strong> <\/p>\n Cuba’s international baseball dominance has waned in recent years. They didn’t even qualify for the 2020 Olympics, and their fourth place finish in the 2023 WBC was their best since being the runner-up in 2006. Cuba’s roster tends to be laden with international competition veterans, and that seasoning is the kind of thing that can separate them from the other teams in this tier.\u00a0 <\/p>\n 9. Italy<\/strong> <\/p>\n Jac Caglianone<\/a>, Sal Frelick<\/a>, Vinnie Pasquantino<\/a>, and Kyle Teel<\/a> will form a competitive lineup and Aaron Nola<\/a> gives Italy the best starting pitcher they’ve ever had in the WBC (sorry, 2023 Matt Harvey<\/a>). They have some bona fide MLB-caliber relievers in Adam Ottavino<\/a> and Greg Weissert<\/a> too. That can go a long way to advancing out of pool play and into the quarterfinals. <\/p>\n 8. Korea<\/strong> <\/p>\n Korea has failed to make it out of pool play in the last three WBCs after finishing as the runner-up in 2009. That’s three straight disappointing finishes for a team that draws players from what is widely considered the third-best professional baseball league in the world. That said, what happened in 2013, 2017, and 2023 doesn’t matter. Korea has the talent to make a run in 2026. Korea Baseball Organization stars Do Yeong Kim and Ja Wook Koo will join Giants<\/a> outfielder Jung Hoo Lee<\/a> in the lineup.\u00a0 <\/p>\n 7. Canada<\/strong> <\/p>\n No Freddie Freeman<\/a> is a blow, but you can do a lot worse than building your offense around Owen Caissie<\/a>, Tyler O’Neill<\/a>, and Josh Naylor<\/a>. Cal Quantrill<\/a>, Michael Soroka<\/a>, and Jameson Taillon<\/a> make up the best rotation you’ll find in this tier, at least on paper. The bullpen has been Canada’s downfall as much as anything in past WBCs, and bullpens are inherently volatile. Get some better than expected relief work and Canada could reach the quarterfinals for the first time. <\/p>\n 6. Puerto Rico<\/strong> <\/p>\n Insurance issues threaten to greatly diminish Puerto Rico’s roster<\/a><\/span>, which is a shame because Pool A will be played in San Juan. Jos\u00e9 Berr\u00edos<\/a>, Carlos Correa<\/a>, and Francisco Lindor<\/a> are all out of the WBC for the time being. Still, Riley Greene<\/a> and Heliot Ramos<\/a> make for a nice offense, and Seth Lugo<\/a> and Yankees<\/a> top pitching prospect<\/a><\/span> Elmer Rodr\u00edguez<\/a> give Puerto Rico solid rotation options. Edwin D\u00edaz<\/a>, despite his season-ending knee injury in the 2023 WBC, is back to handle closing duties. <\/p>\n 5. Mexico<\/strong> <\/p>\n Mexico was the third-place finisher in 2023, when they lost a one-run game to Japan in the semifinals, and they might have their strongest roster yet in 2026. Alejandro Kirk<\/a> will join holdovers Jonathan Aranda<\/a>, Randy Arozarena<\/a>, Jarren Duran<\/a>, and Isaac Paredes<\/a> in the lineup. Cody Ponce<\/a>, who signed a $30 million contract with the Blue Jays<\/a> this offseason after dominating in Korea last year, is expected to headline the rotation. Mexico will draw from enough MLB- and Triple A-caliber arms that they should be able to build a quality pitching staff. This will again be a dangerous team in the WBC. \u00a0 <\/p>\n 4. Venezuela<\/strong> <\/p>\n The Wilyer Abreu<\/a>\/Ronald Acu\u00f1a Jr.<\/a>\/Jackson Chourio<\/a> outfield will be one of the best in the WBC, and the offense is also expected to feature Maikel Garcia<\/a>, Salvador Perez<\/a>, and Eugenio Su\u00e1rez<\/a>. Ranger Su\u00e1rez<\/a> joining Pablo L\u00f3pez<\/a> in the rotation will give Venezuela its best 1-2 punch since the days of Freddy Garcia and Johan Santana. The bullpen might be a little iffy, but that goes for a lot of teams in the WBC. Venezuela went 4-0 in pool play in 2023 and outscored their opponents 23-9. It took Trea Turner’s<\/a> dramatic eighth-inning grand slam to send Venezuela home in the quarterfinals. They are very much a threat to win in 2026. <\/p>\n 3. Dominican Republic<\/strong> <\/p>\n Going 2-2 and not making it out of pool play in 2023 was, frankly, embarrassing for a team with this much talent. I have a hard time seeing the same outcome in 2026. Not with Brayan Bello<\/a> and Cristopher S\u00e1nchez<\/a> joining Sandy Alcantara<\/a> in the rotation. The offense reads like an All-Star Game lineup: Junior Caminero<\/a>, Vladimir Guerrero Jr.<\/a>, Manny Machado<\/a>, Ketel Marte<\/a>, Geraldo Perdomo<\/a>, Julio Rodr\u00edguez<\/a>, Juan Soto<\/a>, Fernando Tatis Jr.<\/a>, and more. This is a supremely talented roster and the players presumably have a chip on their shoulder after the quick 2023 exit. A force, the Dominican Republic will be. <\/p>\n 2. Japan<\/strong> <\/p>\n Japan ran the table in 2023, going 7-0 and outscoring their opponents 56-18 en route to winning their third WBC title (also 2006 and 2009). Seiya Suzuki<\/a> will join the 2026 roster after having to withdraw from the 2023 event with an oblique injury. Shohei Ohtani won’t pitch<\/a><\/span>, but he will hit, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto<\/a> will front the rotation. Infielder Teruaki Sato, outfielder Shota Morishita, and righty Hiromi Ito are three of the best players in the world outside MLB. Japan has never finished lower than third in the WBC. They will again go into the tournament as one of the favorites to win. <\/p>\n 1. United States<\/strong> <\/p>\n USA was one swing away from upsetting Japan and winning the 2023 WBC. As strong as their roster was that year, it does not compare to the 2026 team. The 2023 rotation was Merrill Kelly<\/a>, Lance Lynn<\/a>, Nick Martinez<\/a>, and late career Adam Wainwright<\/a>. This year, they’ll have Paul Skenes<\/a> and Tarik Skubal<\/a>, plus Joe Ryan<\/a> and Logan Webb<\/a>. I’m not sure there’s a wrong way to order Corbin Carroll<\/a>, Bryce Harper<\/a>, Aaron Judge<\/a>, Cal Raleigh<\/a>, Kyle Schwarber<\/a>, Bobby Witt Jr.<\/a> et al offensively. This is, not by a small margin, the best roster USA has ever taken in the WBC. Now they just have to go out and win the thing. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n Just happy to be here <\/h2>\n
19. Brazil
18. Chinese Taipei
17. Nicaragua \u00a0
16. Great Britain <\/strong><\/p>\n The longshots <\/h2>\n
14. Panama \u00a0
13. Colombia
12. Netherlands
11. Israel <\/strong><\/p>\n The sleepers <\/h2>\n
The top contenders <\/h2>\n