5 Team Italy players who could become MLB stars after the World Baseball Classic

Italy's Cinderella run at the 2026 World Baseball Classic reaches the semifinals on Monday night, where they'll look to slay another giant in Venezuela after already upsetting both the U.S. and Puerto Rico earlier in the tournament. It's been one heck of a performance for a team from whom not much was expected at the start; very, very few even had the Italians making it out of a pool that also featured Team USA and Mexico, much less getting all the way to the final four.

But maybe we shouldn't be too surprised. Sure, Italy doesn't feature a ton of household names — and even fewer native Italians — but Mike Piazza and Co. have managed to put together a sneakily exciting group of young talent. And plenty of them could be making noise in the Majors in just a couple of weeks.

OF Jac Caglianone, Kansas City Royals

A two-way phenom at the University of Florida who once homered in nine straight college games, the Royals took Caglianone at No. 6 overall in the 2024 MLB Draft — and he was in Kansas City just a year or so later after laying waste to the high Minors. His first taste of big-league pitching didn't go so well, but don't be fooled by his .532 OPS over 62 games last season: It came with a flukily low .172 batting average on balls in play (the league average is something around .290), and his elite bat speed and barrel rate more than looked the part of a future star.

Which is exactly what Caglianone has been at the WBC so far, with a 1.290 OPS across four games that includes a big homer in the win against Team USA. This is one of the better hitting prospects in the sport, and after getting his feet wet last year, big things should be in store in 2026.

OF Jakob Marsee, Miami Marlins

It's possible that Marsee is a star already: A little-heralded sixth-round pick back in 2022, he burst onto the scene with the Marlins last season, slashing .292/.363/.478 with five homers and 14 steals in just 55 games and making the center-field job his own. It remains to be seen whether he can do it over a full 162 games (when he's not taking the league by surprise), but he's picked up where he left off at the WBC so far, getting on base at a healthy .360 clip and playing excellent defense.

Marsee will have ample runway this season in an exciting young outfield flanked by Kyle Stowers and Owen Caissie. He still has questions to answer about whether he can do enough damage to be an impact big-league hitter, but his approach at the plate is excellent, and his ability to go get it in center should keep him in the lineup in Miami for years to come.

OF Dominic Canzone, Seattle Mariners

Sure, it was only a half-season's worth of data, but Canzone quietly tore the cover off the ball for the Mariners last year, posting an .839 OPS with 11 homers over 82 games. He hasn't quite reached those heights for Italy with just three hits in 16 at-bats, but the on-base skills have been encouraging (four walks in four games), and he figures to play a big role for a Seattle team that doesn't have a ton of other answers in right field and at DH against right-handed pitching.

Canzone struggles to hit lefties, which limits his path to an every-day role. He can also get way too aggressive at times. But when he makes contact, it's usually very good contact, with line drive and pulled-air rates well above the MLB average. For the Mariners to get where they want to go this season, they're going to need the unproven bottom of their order to step up, and Canzone is a huge part of that.

INF Andrew Fischer, Milwaukee Brewers

A top-10 prospect in a loaded Milwaukee system, the Brewers made Fischer their first-round pick last summer after he tore the cover off the ball at Tennessee. He's kept on hitting since becoming a pro, posting an .848 OPS at High-A in 2025 and banging out three extra-base hits (including a homer) to go with a 1.235 OPS in the World Baseball Classic.

Fischer's pop has always been his calling card; he loves to grip it and rip it, with a swing optimized for lift that could produce some 25-homer seasons down the line. His ultimate defensive home remains a question mark — the Brewers are giving him a shot to stick at third base, although first base feels more likely — and that could put a lot of pressure on his bat in order to stick at the MLB level. But it won't matter where he plays if he keeps hitting like this, and we already know how good Milwaukee is at developing young talent.

OF Dante Nori, Philadelphia Phillies

But Fischer isn't the only young outfield prospects making waves for this Italy team. Power has never been a huge part of Nori's game; he went deep just four times in his first full season of Minor League ball in 2025. And yet he went yard twice in one game in the win over Brazil in pool play, hitting .438 for the tournament overall.

If there's actually double-digit power in here, look out, because the rest of the package is awfully enticing. Nori doesn't look like much at just 5-foot-9, but he has a knack for getting the bat on the ball, and his speed (he stole 52 bases last season) makes him a true menace in center field. The Phillies currently have top prospect Justin Crawford ticketed for center on Opening Day, but he might ultimately wind up better suited for left. If Nori accesses a bit more pop and keeps on slashing and burning like this, he could be playing in Philly by next season.