The 2026 World Baseball Classic has technically already begun as you read this, as Australia beat Chinese Taipei in the opener, 3-0. However, Pool C is the only member of the quartet actually underway, so we have time to look ahead at the final batch of clubs, Pool D.
As Matt discussed yesterday, Pool C has a case as the Group of Death in this year’s WBC, but Pool D is at least the Group of Great Pain. Two baseball titans are expected to top the group, but all five teams feature real MLB talent. One shutdown relief performance or a ball that gets into the gap could flip the round-robin on its head. These games come in Miami, so three-and-a-half teams with majority Caribbean/Latin representation makes sense, and while Tokyo may be slightly louder for Japan and Chinese Taipei, the crowds for the Dominican Republic and Venezuela will absolutely make themselves known in an electric atmosphere.
Dominican Republic
The D.R. returns a lineup that is as good or better than any other nation in this tournament. I mean, just look at what they rolled out for a tune-up game against the poor Tigers:
Now, the appearance of Austin Wells here is a little like that “what’s a polar bear doing in Texas” meme, but the Yankee catcher qualifies under the WBC’s eligibility, and he’s looked strong in spring training so far, making him a perfect eighth hitter for a lineup with this much talent. It’s also worth noting that Geraldo Perdomo had a seven (!) win season last year, better than any other hitter on this team, and he’s batting ninth. The great weakness of Team Canada, my squad, is the pitching staff, so I’m quite glad the Canucks don’t have to face this group of hitters until at least the knockouts if at all.
The D.R.’s pitching doesn’t quite stand up to the power of the offense, but it’s certainly not lacking in talent on its own. Cristopher Sánchez, Sandy Alcantara, Brayan Bello, and Luis Severino form the backbone of the rotation, with Yankee Camilo Doval, former farmhand Albert Abreu, and Seranthony Domínguez expected to take big roles in the bullpen. This is a very, very good team.
It’s also a team that, for all the star power it boasts, has something to prove. The Dominican Republic didn’t even make it out of the group stage in the 2023 tournament, going 2-2 with big losses to Venezuela and Puerto Rico. For a nation as baseball-mad as the D.R., this squad may be coming in with the most domestic pressure to perform, and new manager Albert Pujols — yes, him — will need to get a team full of big names on the same page to avenge that ’23 disappointment and match ’13 Robinson Canó-led D.R. squad as WBC champions.
Venezuela
The winners of that abovementioned group in 2023, Venezuela swept their way into the knockout stages before finally being eliminated by Trea Turner’s grand slam in the quarterfinals.
They come into this tournament ranked fifth in the world, and like the D.R., will boast a lineup that could put up serious numbers across a 162-game MLB season. Ronald Acuña Jr is The Man, even on a squad that boasts a widely-recognized leader like Salvador Perez, but Eugenio Suárez, Jackson Chourio, old friend Gleyber Torres, and the Contreras brothers round out what should be a dynamite offense. New Red Sox starter Ranger Suárez and veteran Eduardo Rodríguez highlight the pitching staff, which will unfortunately be missing the talents of the injured Pablo López.
The marquee matchup of this pool will be Venezuela against the D.R., and whoever comes out on top will be in the driver’s seat atop the group table. A longtime baseball powerhouse, the Venezuelans have only fared better than fifth once (a third-place finish in 2009), and this is the best team of the field that has never hoisted the WBC trophy.
The Netherlands
We get a little example of the vestiges of colonialism, with many of the Kingdom’s best players coming from the Antilles, most prominently Aruba and Curaçao. Newly-minted Hall of Famer Andruw Jones, who is one of those Caribbean-born representatives, played for the side in 2006 and 2013, before being named a bench coach for the next two tournaments, and finally getting the top job as manager for this run. Andruw’s son Druw Jones, the former No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, will look to carry on Dad’s legacy in his first taste of WBC action.
The nation has had legitimate success at the WBC, with two memorable upset wins over the D.R. in 2009 and more meaningfully, a pair of fourth-place finishes in ’13 and ’17. But they were unable to escape the group stage in ’23, as Italy beat them in the Pool A finale behind Matt Harvey (yes, really) to send ’em home. Kenley Jansen and Xander Boegarts, two stalwarts of the WBC, will lead the team’s pitching and lineup respectively, and Ceddanne Rafaela brings his excellent outfield defense to the center field slot. The infield is rounded out by Ozzie Albies and old friend Didi Gregorius, still kicking around at age-36. Jurickson Profar was supposed to be involved as well, but, uh, that isn’t happening.
Israel
Appearing in its third WBC and featuring a roster of primarily American players with Jewish heritage, Israel didn’t fare as well in 2023 as it did in its first WBC in 2017, with an opening round sweep against Netherlands, South Korea, and Chinese Taipei. They only mustered a single win last time around, going 1-3 and failing to advance out of the group stages.
Former Yankees Harrison Bader, Tommy Kahnle, and Matt Bowman are on Israel’s roster for 2026, and Triple-A arm Harrison Cohen is also expected to be in the mix. Orioles starter Dean Kremer will lead the rotation. As he is in New York, Brad Ausmus was the bench coach during the last WBC under Ian Kinsler, but like Jones, he’s now running the show. Best-forgotten 2013 Yank/old nemesis Kevin Youkilis is the hitting coach, and long-ago Yankees catcher Jerry Narron is on the staff as well.
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is sort of the little brother of the quartet of Latin/Caribbean teams here, with a winless debut tournament in 2023 but sweeping its way through the qualifying process a year ago. That qualification was capped with a stunning win over #2 ranked Chinese Taipei in the final. The team does feature some very real pitching talent, but the lineup is likely to be a little thin — although adding the Mets’ Mark Vientos will help with some of the thump.
Maybe the feel-good story of the tournament will be Dusty Baker, who may have the best case to be considered the current Mr. Baseball, and who will take over managerial duties for the very young underdog squad. A win for Nicaragua would represent a huge step forward in baseball development for the small nation, and I’d be lying if I said I’m not rooting for it.
Find more Pinstripe Alley WBC pool previews here: Pool A, Pool B, Pool C.
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