The 2026 World Baseball Classic officially started last night with pool play action between Australia and Chinese Taipei. Most of the teams loaded with MLB players won’t officially start WBC play until tomorrow as they have spent this week playing exhibition games against MLB teams. But by this weekend, the tournament will be in full swing.
With the World Baseball Classic officially upon us, it’s time to make your picks for who will win. Team USA is a favorite, as they feature a star-studded roster
led by captain Aaron Judge and easily the deepest pitching staff of any team in the tournament with Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal. As for possible Phillies rooting purposes, they also have Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and Brad Keller.
2023 champion Team Japan are not to be overlooked, as they bring a roster headlined by Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto back to the tournament to try and repeat. However, their pitching staff will not be as deep as 2023, as Ohtani will not be on the mound this time around, opting to only serve as designated hitter.
Not far behind those last two finalists is Cristopher Sánchez and Team Dominican Republic. The D.R. features a lineup that includes Juan Soto, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Julio Rodriguez, Manny Machado, and Fernando Tatis Jr. However, their pitching staff is a little suspect behind Sánchez, which means they will likely have to outhit opponents.
Those are the top three teams, but there are a few in the next tier that could realistically pull off some upsets. Venezuela, Mexico, and Puerto Rico have plenty of MLBers within their ranks but not quite the star power of the U.S., Japan, or the D.R. Korea has some MLB players as well as possible future MLB transfers, Canada has its best chance to advance out of the group stage in years, and Columbia pulled off a massive upset in 2023.
There is a total of 20 teams participating in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, but those listed above are the ones with the most recognizable players and with varying degrees of chances to make real noise. So, who is your pick to win the World Baseball Classic? Will Japan repeat? Will USA conquer its 2023 demons? Will the D.R. upset them both? Or will someone come out of nowhere?
