World Baseball Classic 2026: Projecting Ideal Rosters For The Dominican Republic, Venezuela & Latin American Teams
Image credit: Juan Soto (Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images)
The World Baseball Classic will return in 2026 with the best teams from around the world coming together to see if they can end Japan’s dominance. The defending WBC champs have won three of the six tournaments. Team USA, the 2017 champion and 2023 runner-up, will be looking to return to the top of the podium.
But another excellent question heading into next year is whether a Latin American team can once again reign as WBC champs.
The most notable WBC performance from a Spanish-speaking country was the Dominican Republic knocking off Puerto Rico to win in 2013. Puerto Rico has finished second twice, while Cuba was runner-up in the inaugural WBC in 2006. Venezuela’s best finish is a semifinal appearance in 2009.
With that in mind, today we’ll be taking a closer look at the Latin American powers with an eye toward how their rosters could shape up for next spring’s World Baseball Classic.
These are ideal rosters and are likely better than the actual rosters will end up being, as not every player agrees to play in the WBC. For this exercise, we are relying on players born in each country along with players who have previously played for the team. For instance, Jarren Duran, who was born in California, has previous experience with Team Mexico and would thus be eligible for the projected 2026 roster.
Dominican Republic
Team Strength: Depth. Along with Team USA and Japan, the Dominican Republic is one of the few teams that has more good options than available spots in the regular lineup. Do you want Manny Machado or José Ramírez at third base? That leaves Junior Caminero as a designated hitter, but Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Rafael Devers and Samuel Basallo also fit at DH/first base. At shortstop, would you prefer Jeremy Peña or Geraldo Perdomo? Oh, did we mention that the outfield is filled with all-stars? This is a team with Oneil Cruz as an athletic backup.
Team Weakness: If everyone agrees to play, the D.R. has no glaring weaknesses. There may be teams with better starting pitching, but no one would feel bad about sending Framber Valdez, Sandy Alcantara or Luis Castillo to the mound in a big game. The bullpen, which could feature Jhoan Duran and Abner Uribe, is equally stacked.
Projected 2026 Roster
| C | Yainer Diaz |
| 1B | Vladimir Guerrero Jr. |
| 2B | Ketel Marte |
| SS | Jeremy Peña |
| 3B | José Ramírez |
| LF | Fernando Tatis Jr. |
| CF | Julio Rodríguez |
| RF | Juan Soto |
| DH | Junior Caminero |
| SP | Luis Castillo |
| SP | Sandy Alcantara |
| SP | Framber Valdez |
| RP | Jhoan Duran |
| RP | Abner Uribe |
| RP | Feliz Bautista |
| RP | Rafael Montero |
Venezuela
Team Strength: Catching and outfielders. If everyone agrees to play, an outfield of Wilyer Abreu, Jackson Chourio and Ronald Acuña Jr. is excellent. As usual, Venezuela has more catchers than spots on the roster. Salvador Perez has long been a WBC fixture, but the team also has Willson Contreras, Francisco Alvarez and Gabriel Moreno as options.
- SEE ALSO: Best Prospects From Venezuela
Team Weakness: Infielders. Venezuela’s infield would be the envy of many lesser teams, but shortstop (Ezequiel Tovar and/or Gabriel Arias) isn’t as strong as multiple other contenders. It’s not a glaring weakness, but most of the Venezuelan infield will be batting at the bottom of the lineup.
Projected 2026 Roster
| C | Francisco Alvarez |
| 1B | William Contreras |
| 2B | Gleyber Torres |
| SS | Ezequiel Tovar |
| 3B | Maikel Garcia |
| LF | Wilyer Abreu |
| CF | Jackson Chourio |
| RF | Ronald Acuña Jr. |
| DH | Eugenio Suarez |
| SP | Ranger Suarez |
| SP | Pablo Lopez |
| SP | Jesús Luzardo |
| RP | Robert Suarez |
| RP | José Alvarado |
| RP | Edgardo Henriquez |
| RP | Daniel Palencia |
Cuba
Team Strength: Outfielders. Randy Arozarena has thrived on the big stages of the MLB postseason and WBC. Andy Pages’ development is a nice addition, too. Yordan Alvarez, meanwhile, could slide to a corner spot in a pinch, although he’s better served as arguably the best DH in the tournament.
- SEE ALSO: Best Prospects From Cuba
Team Weakness: Cohesiveness. To put together the best Cuban team requires piecing together players playing in Japan, Cuba and the United States (and maybe Mexico, too).
Projected 2026 Roster
| C | Edgar Quero |
| 1B | Yandy Diaz |
| 2B | Andy Ibáñez |
| SS | Jose Iglesias |
| 3B | Yoán Moncada |
| LF | Randy Arozarena |
| CF | Andy Pages |
| RF | Luis Robert |
| DH | Yordan Alvarez |
| SP | Nesto Cortes |
| SP | Livan Monielo |
| SP | Yariel Rodriguez |
| RP | Aroldis Chapman |
| RP | Raisel Iglesias |
| RP | Radiel Martinez |
| RP | Kendry Rojas |
Mexico
Team Strength: Offense. Mexico has a wide array of productive hitters, especially with the emergence of Jonathan Aranda. Combining him, Isaac Paredes, Alejandro Kirk and Jarren Duran at the top of the lineup would give opposing pitchers plenty to worry about.
- SEE ALSO: Best Prospects From Mexico
Team Weakness: Starting pitching. Mexico’s staff has a number of viable pitching candidates, but there isn’t an ace here who can match up with the best other teams can offer.
Projected 2026 Roster
| C | Alejandro Kirk |
| 1B | Jonathan Aranda |
| 2B | Luis Urias |
| SS | Ramon Urias |
| 3B | Isaac Paredes |
| LF | Tirso Ornelas |
| CF | Jarren Duran |
| RF | Alek Thomas |
| DH | Rowdy Tellez |
| SP | Javier Assad |
| SP | Valente Bellozo |
| SP | Alan Rangel |
| RP | Andrés Muñoz |
| RP | Manuel Rodríguez |
| RP | Giovanny Gallegos |
| RP | Omar Cruz |
Puerto Rico
Team Strength: Shortstop. The talented triumvirate of Puerto Rican shortstops who arrived in the mid 2010s remains the strength of this team. Francisco Lindor is still one of the game’s best shortstops, while Carlos Correa can handle third base. Javier Baez’s forays in center field provide versatility, too.
Team Weakness: Power. This is a team without many proven thumpers in the lineup. There aren’t a lot of great options at 1B or DH.
Projected 2026 Roster
| C | Christian Vasquez |
| 1B | Abimelec Ortiz |
| 2B | Emmanuel Rivera |
| SS | Francisco Lindor |
| 3B | Carlos Correa |
| LF | Heliot Ramos |
| CF | Enrique Hernandez |
| RF | Javier Baez |
| DH | Willi Castro |
| SP | Jose Berrios |
| SP | Jorge López |
| SP | Marcus Stroman |
| RP | Edwin Diaz |
| RP | Fernando Cruz |
| RP | Joe Jiménez |
| RP | Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz |
