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It’s time for baseball’s international competition to move into the spotlight. That’s right: We’re less than a week away from the start of the 2026 World Baseball Classic, the sixth edition of the tournament.
This week, we’re previewing all 20 teams set to participate in the WBC. We’ve already covered Pool A, Pool B and Pool C. Next up is Pool D, which features the Dominican Republic, Israel, the Netherlands, Nicaragua and Venezuela and begins play on March 6 in Miami.
Dominican Republic
Tournament history: The Dominican team’s history in this tournament features both triumphant peaks (a dominant 8-0 run en route to the title in 2013) and head–scratching valleys (failing to advance out of the group stage in 2009 and 2023).
First game: March 6 vs. Nicaragua, 7 p.m. ET
Key players: Manager Albert Pujols has already announced his rotation for pool play: Cristopher Sanchez against Nicaragua, Luis Severino against the Netherlands, Brayan Bello against Israel and Sandy Alcantara against Venezuela. That Sanchez — one of the best pitchers in the world – isn’t slated to face the D.R.’s toughest opponent in Venezuela is a curious choice on its face, but it makes sense considering the bigger picture. If the Dominican can win its first three games, it’ll be through to the quarterfinals before even facing Venezuela, and it’ll have Sanchez available for the knockout game of its choosing. That said, winning the pool outright should be the goal, which makes Alcantara a fascinating main character. He allowed three runs in 3⅓ innings pitched in D.R.’s 5-1 loss against Venezuela in pool play in 2023. Next week he’ll get a chance at redemption.
Guy you don’t know yet but should: It’s tough to pick an under-the-radar player on such a star-laden squad, but keep an eye on right-handed Rockies reliever Juan Mejia, a late addition to the WBC roster after Tampa Bay’s Edwin Uceta withdrew due to injury. Mejia’s terrific fastball/slider combo yielded impressive results as an MLB rookie in 2025, and he gives Pujols another late-game weapon to call on, even if he’s by far the most anonymous name on the roster.
Biggest strength: This lineup is ridiculous. It’s hard to fathom any squad amalgamating an offense as formidable as Team USA’s, but D.R. comes the closest to doing so, with a position-player group that is notably upgraded from the 2023 team. Five fantastic holdovers from three years ago — Manny Machado, Jeremy Peña, Julio Rodriguez, Juan Soto and Ketel Marte — are joined by Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (who was a late scratch last tournament due to injury) and Fernando Tatis Jr. (who could not participate in 2023 due to PED suspension). Oh, and Junior Caminero — the Dominican home run leader in 2025, with 45 — is here, too.
Biggest weakness: Catching. Austin Wells— whose mother’s parents are both Dominican, if you were wondering — is a crucial addition to this roster, as there isn’t an abundance of quality Dominican backstops compared to what teams such as Venezuela and Puerto Rico have at their disposal. But Wells is coming off a disappointing season with the Yankees, and the D.R.’s backup catcher is 24-year-old Agustin Ramirez, who flashed gaudy power as a rookie with the Marlins but whose defensive deficiencies are rather extreme; no catcher rated worse with the glove in 2025. Both Wells and Ramirez bring impressive pop, but that matters so much less in a lineup like this. In these high-stakes tournament games, competence behind the dish is far more important, and without a third catcher on the roster, it’ll strictly be on these two to provide that stability.
Tournament outlook: The sour taste left from the most recent WBC should fuel the Dominican team’s motivation for a more respectable showing in 2026. The March 11 clash with Venezuela is easily the juiciest and arguably most consequential game of all of pool play, as it could determine not just the Pool D winner but also which team won’thave to play Japan in the quarterfinals. Buckle up.
Read more: 6 major takeaways from the reveal of the WBC rosters
Israel
Tournament history: This is Israel’s third WBC appearance. It won a handful of games in its tournament debut in 2017 and authorized a dramatic comeback victory against Nicaragua for its lone win in pool play in 2023.
First game: March 7 vs. Venezuela, 7 p.m. ET
Key players: Spencer Horwitz had yet to make his MLB debut when he suited up for Team Israel in the 2023 WBC, but he has since established himself as an above-average bat in the majors (122 wRC+ in 836 career plate appearances) and is now the no-doubt headliner in this lineup. If not Horwitz, it’s Harrison Bader, who joins the team in center field coming off a career year at the plate in his ninth major-league season. These two will need to hit if Israel has any chance of keeping up with the other high-powered offenses in Pool D.
Guy you don’t know yet but should: A ninth-round pick by the Mariners out of Vanderbilt in 2023, RJ Schreckwas flipped to Toronto for Justin Turner a year later at the trade deadline. He has since quietly climbed the ranks as one of the most productive bats in the Blue Jays’ system and could factor into Toronto’s outfield at some point in 2026 after posting a 129 wRC+ across 58 Triple-A games to finish last season.
RJ Schreck *just* missed a three run HR here, gorgeous swing.
— Damon (@Damon98_) February 21, 2026
104.3 MPH/31°/376 FT pic.twitter.com/DLRdS7avPs
Biggest strength: The bullpen. Not only are there a few relievers who spent a good amount of time in the majors last season in Tommy Kahnle, Matt Bowman and Max Lazar, but Israel also has a trio of younger arms who posted stellar numbers in the minors last year: Charlie Beilenson (Mariners), Josh Mallitz (Padres) and Harrison Cohen (Yankees).
Biggest weakness: The rotation. Orioles right-hander Dean Kremer is a rock-solid rotation anchor, but there’s minimal starting pitching experience elsewhere on the pitching staff, particularly at the big-league level.
Tournament outlook: Israel should be slightly favored against Nicaragua and could hang tough with the Netherlands if the bats show up, but it’s difficult to envision this team having the pitching to slow down the likes of D.R. or Venezuela.
Netherlands
Tournament history: The Netherlands has participated in all five WBCs, with a pair of fourth-place finishes in 2013 and 2017 representing its best performances. The team failed to advance past pool play in 2023.
First game: March 6 vs. Venezuela, 12 p.m. ET
Key players: Xander Bogaerts participated in the 2023 WBC fresh off signing an 11-year, $280 million contract with the Padres, a contract that has since devolved into an apparent albatross as Bogaerts’ offensive impact has declined to a league-average level. He’s still arguably the best player on this roster, however, and has the opportunity to shine on a different stage without the shadow of his megadeal looming over him.
Guy you don’t know yet but should: In a Pirates organization practically overflowing with pitching talent, right-hander Antwone Kelly enjoyed a huge velocity spike last season, which helped propel him to Double-A as a 21-year-old. A native of Aruba, Kelly pitched one inning for the Netherlands in the 2023 WBC well before he was on the prospect radar. Now his high-90s heater and extended success as a starter in the minors have him firmly on track to be a big leaguer in the not-too-distant future.
Biggest strength: Big-league bats. Joining 2023 holdovers Bogaerts and Profar are Ozzie Albies and Ceddanne Rafaela, giving the Dutch lineup the kind of major-league experience that gives them an edge over the two other underdogs in this pool, Nicaragua and Israel.
Biggest weakness: Experience on the mound. Yes, potential Hall of Famer Kenley Jansen is on the roster, as is 38-year-old journeyman Shairon Martis. But 10 of this team’s 12 youngest players are pitchers, with seven of them age 22 or younger.
Tournament outlook: The Netherlands faces a difficult path to the knockout stage, with powerhouses Dominican Republic and Venezuela standing in its way. But this team has the top-end talent to make things interesting if the pitching for either of the co-favorites falters against them. Don’t sleep on the Dutch squad.
Nicaragua
Tournament history: Nicaragua made its WBC debut in 2023 and went winless in a loaded Pool D, dropping all four contests against Puerto Rico, Israel, Dominican Republic and Venezuela by a combined score of 22-4.
First game: March 6 vs. Dominican Republic, 7 p.m. ET
Key players: Mets slugger Mark Vientos adds a proven power source to the middle of the lineup, and he’ll have to rise to the occasion if Nicaragua is to keep up with the high-powered offenses in Pool D. On the mound, it’ll be on veteran right-handers Erasmo Ramirez and J.C. Ramirez — two of the more seasoned pitchers in this country’s limited history of producing big-league arms — to slow down said offenses with pure grit and guile.
Guy you don’t know yet but should: Ismael Munguiais a 27-year-old, 5-foot-8 outfielder who spent last season in Triple-A with the Yankees after spending the first seven years of his pro career in the San Francisco Giants organization. He signed a minor-league deal with Toronto in December and has always been exceptionally difficult to strike out (9.7% career strikeout rate), a skill that could propel him to a fourth or fifth outfielder role in the majors someday.
Ismael Munguía hit .372 last Spring Training in the Yankees organization.
— Fernando Rayo (@Rayo2Fer) February 24, 2026
He just got his first hit in 2026 battle to debut in the MLB now wearing Blue Jays uniform.
Munguia will be the CF for Nicaragua in the World Baseball Classic
pic.twitter.com/ltl7gYjfzI
Biggest strength: The manager. One way to compensate for a lack of big-league talent is to hire a managerial icon as your skipper. That’s right: Dusty Bakerwill be guiding Team Nicaragua in this year’s tournament, an unlikely yet delightful collaboration that will add one more chapter to the 76-year-old’s legendary career.
Biggest weakness: Lack of MLB talent. Vientos is the only player on Team Nicaragua currently on a major-league roster, with only a handful of others even in affiliated ball, leaving this team considerably far behind not just the pool favorites, Venezuela and D.R., but also Israel and the Netherlands.
Tournament outlook: Nicaragua joins Brazil as the only teams in this tournament seeking their very first WBC victories. But back in Miami for pool play against a similar array of opponents, finding that first win will be challenging for Nicaragua.
Venezuela
Tournament history: Despite its deep pool of star big leaguers, Venezuela has never finished higher than third in the WBC, which happened way back in 2009. The team’s 2023 performance — an undefeated run through pool play followed by a heartbreaking loss to Team USA in the quarterfinals — still stings as a golden missed opportunity.
First game: March 6 vs. Netherlands, 12 p.m. ET
Key players: With notably weaker depth on the mound compared to the other tournament favorites, a lot is riding on Venezuela’s best arms to rise to the occasion. That begins with ace lefty Ranger Suarez — however many starts he makes — and also falls on the trio of top-end bullpen arms (Eduard Bazardo, Daniel Palencia, Angel Zerpa) who have the kind of stuff to nail down a late lead against a quality opponent. The offense is capable of providing a nice cushion, but this team will need to secure some high-stress outs — do the Venezuelans have the arms to make it happen? We’re about to find out.
Guy you don’t know yet but should: Like D.R., this roster is loaded with familiar faces, so let’s shine some light on another recent injury substitution who is lesser-known but could make a big relief appearance or two in the tournament: Royals right-hander Luinder Avila. Kansas City is excited about his long-term potential in the rotation, but he debuted in relief last year and showed well.
Biggest strength: The offense. It might not be on the level of the USA, D.R. or even Japan, but Venezuela’s lineup is easily the fourth-best in the field, with an argument that its wealth of MLB experience gives it the edge over Japan’s position-player group. The outfield — however it aligns defensively — features three bats in or approaching their primes in Ronald Acuña Jr., Jackson Chourio and Wilyer Abreu. Having both Willson and William Contreras available as big right-handed bats and quality defenders is a boon after neither participated in 2023. There’s power (Salvador Perez, Eugenio Suarez), contact (Luis Arraez) and an all-around breakout star in Maikel Garcia. It’s a fantastic collection of ballplayers who give this team a real chance to win the whole thing if the arms can find enough outs.
Biggest weakness: Pitching depth. Since rosters were announced Feb. 5, Venezuela has had four of its pitchers withdraw from the tournament: Twins ace Pablo Lopez and Pirates minor-league lefty Oddanier Mosqueda due to injury, Phillies left-hander Jose Alvarado due to an issue with insurance and right-hander German Marquez after he signed with the Padres and decided to focus on competing for a rotation spot in camp. Both Lopez and Marquez were expected to make starts for Venezuela in the tournament, putting pressure on some less-experienced arms to cover important innings in pool play (and potentially beyond).
Tournament outlook: We don’t know Venezuela’s pitching plans yet, but it’ll be pivotal for this team to find a groove early in the tournament before its highly anticipated showdown with Dominican Republic. Winning the first three games against Netherlands, Israel and Nicaragua would ease the pressure going into the D.R. game, and that should be doable. It won’t be easy, but making it further than the previous tournament’s quarterfinal exit should be the goal for a Venezuela team with this much talent.