With so many names in play, there’s plenty of context to explore to prepare for what we’ll see unfold in March.
World Baseball Classic 2026
Below are 10 facts and statistics about the World Classic rosters:
• Let’s start with the current award winners. Four of them come from MLB, to be exact. Featuring Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge, Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal, this will be the first Classic featuring the reigning MLB MVP and Cy Young winners. Also included are the current winner of the Sawamura Award (for best pitcher) of the Japanese Professional Baseball League, Hiromi Itoh, as well as MVPs Teruaki Sato and Liván Moinelo (for Cuba). The reigning Cy Young winners who previously pitched in the Classic were Sandy Alcántara (2023), RA Dickey (2013) and Bartolo Colón (2006). The reigning MVPs who played in the Classic were Paul Goldschmidt (2023), Miguel Cabrera (2013), Dustin Pedroia (2009), Alex Rodríguez (2006) and Albert Pujols (2006).
• As always, there are many new faces, but also several veterans who have already competed in multiple Clásicos. In 2023, Miguel Cabrera set the standard by playing in his fifth World Classic, having played at least one game in each of the first five editions of the tournament. Cabrera is already retired, but two other veterans will equal that mark by participating in a game: Alfredo Despaigne, from Cuba, has been present since the 2009 edition and is once again part of the Cuban roster. The 37-year-old slugger is the tournament’s all-time leader in home runs, with seven. Additionally, Dutchman Shairon Martin, who pitched in every previous edition except 2009, is also included on the roster.
• And how about representing two different teams in your Clásico career? With the eligibility criteria, a player can be a candidate to represent several federations based on his ancestry, and not just his country of birth. This year, Nolan Arenado, who represented the United States in 2017 and 2023, is part of Puerto Rico’s roster thanks to his maternal ancestry. When he plays a game, Arenado will become the fifth player to represent more than one team in the history of the tournament.
• The youngest player on all rosters is pitcher Joseph Contreras, 17, who represents Brazil. Born on May 6, 2008, he is the son of former Major League pitcher José Contreras. Brazil has the three youngest players on all rosters: in addition to Contreras, there are pitcher Pietro Albanez, who will turn 18 on March 15, and catcher Enzo Hayashida, who turned 18 on New Year’s Day. Seven players have played in a Classic game before turning 18, including four pitchers, according to Elias, a list that Contreras and Albanez could join. The last time a player 17 years old or younger participated in a tournament match was in 2013, when Daniel Missaki, 16 years old at the time—and who returns to Brazil’s roster now at 29 years old—took the mound.
• Hayashida is one of three position players who could become the youngest to hit a home run in a Classic game, a mark currently owned by Harry Ford of Great Britain, who achieved it in 2023 at 20 years and 19 days old. Czechia’s Max Prejda is 18, and Australia’s Max Durrington will turn 19 later this month.
• The oldest player on all rosters is Alexei Ramírez, a veteran of nine MLB seasons, who represents Cuba. At 44 years old, he could become the oldest player to play in a Classic game. Until now, that honor belongs to Roger Clemens, who did it in 2006 at the age of 43 years and 224 days. The oldest position player to participate has been Nelson Cruz, at 42 years and 256 days old in 2023. Ramírez played in the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2006 at the age of 24, two years before arriving in MLB.
• There are four other players on the rosters who will be at least 40 years old. Korea’s Kyung Eun Noh will turn 42 on March 11. Tiago Da Silva (Brazil), Adam Ottavino (Italy) and Martin Schneider (Czechia) are 40 years old. By way of contrast, there are seven players who were not born when the first Classic was held in 2006: the aforementioned Contreras, Albanez, Hayashida, Prejda and Durrington, in addition to Jaitoine Kelly (18 years old, Netherlands) and Woo Joo Jeong (19 years old, Korea), both pitchers.
• The two oldest players to hit a home run in the World Classic were Atsunori Inaba (Japan, 2013) at 40 years and 219 days, and Moisés Alou (Dominican Republic, 2006) at 39 years and 249 days. They are the only two to hit it out of the park in the tournament aged 39 or older, a list that Ramírez could join, as well as Carlos Santana (Dominican Republic), Reynaldo Rodríguez (Colombia), Martín Maldonado (Puerto Rico) and Tim Kennelly (Australia), all aged 39 and the oldest position players on the rosters after Ramírez.
• Team Australia’s Travis Bazzana and Americans Bryce Harper and Paul Skenes could join six previous tournament participants who were selected No. 1 in the MLB Draft. The players taken as the first overall selection to have participated in the Classic so far are Hall of Famers Ken Griffey Jr., Chipper Jones and Joe Mauer, as well as Adrián González, Alex Rodríguez and Carlos Correa.
• This year’s rosters include a record 78 players called up to the MLB All-Star Game, including 36 who were part of the event in 2025, in addition to 306 MLB-affiliated players, of which 190 are on 40-player MLB rosters. The Phillies and Red Sox are the teams with the most 40-man roster players participating, with 11 each. As for players in general within their organizations, the Mets have 17 representatives and the Mariners have 16.
