Team USA enters the 2026 World Baseball Classic with a historic collection of talent, likely the greatest baseball team the country has ever assembled — from Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes in the rotation to a lineup that features the likes of Aaron Judge, Bobby Witt Jr., Bryce Harper and more (to name just a few).
But while it may be our national pastime, the U.S. by no means holds a monopoly on baseball; we've only won this tournament once before, after all, and fell just short in the 2023 final to Japan. There are incredible players in every corner of the world at this point, and the WBC is a great chance to get a sneak peek at some who might be coming to the States sooner rather than later. Here are the 11 best players in this year's tournament who've yet to play in a big-league game.
1. 3B Teruaki Satō, Japan
- Age: 26
- 2025 stats (NPB): .277/.345/.579, 40 HR, 10 SB
Satō is one of multiple members of Team Japan who have a credible claim to being the best non-MLB player in the world right now. A former first-round pick back in 2020, his raw power has always been evident, but an extremely aggressive approach at the plate (he struck out 184 times to just 26 walks as a rookie in 2021) limited the extent to which he could bring it to bear in actual games.
Over the last couple of years, however, he's put it all together, culminating in a 2025 campaign in which he clubbed an NPB-leading 40 homers while taking home Central League MVP honors. Combine that pop with credible defense at third base, and you've got one heck of an all-around player — one who's already expressed interest in coming to MLB in the near future.
2. INF Do Yeong Kim, Korea
- Age: 22
- 2025 stats (KBO): .309/.361/.582, 7 HR, 3 SB (30 games)
Kim has been playing at the top level of Korean baseball since he was just 18 years old. Understandably, there were some growing pains, but soon enough his potential became obvious: In 2024, Kim became the youngest player in KBO history to put up a 30/30 season, and he missed going 40/40 by just two home runs.
His encore in 2025 was cut short by injury, but he still put up sensational numbers when healthy. The usual caveats about level of competition apply — the bar is pretty high for Korean hitters to make the jump to the States. That said, all evidence suggests Kim is the real deal, and the next big import to join the likes of Jung Hoo Lee and Ha-Seong Kim in the Majors.
3. OF Shōta Morishita, Japan
- Age: 25
- 2025 stats (NPB): .275/.350/.463, 23 HR, 5 SB
If Satō isn't the best position player in Japan — and arguably the best hitter in the world not currently employed by a big-league team — his Hanshin Tigers teammate Morishita is. His 171 wRC+ in 2025 was second only to Satō, and he also brings Gold Glove outfield defense to the table.
This will be Morishita's WBC debut, as he'd yet to even appear in an NPB game in the spring of 2023. But the world is going to know his name soon enough, even amid a crowded Japanese outfield that also includes Seiya Suzuki and Masataka Yoshida.
4. RHP Hiromi Itoh, Japan
- Age: 28
- 2025 stats (NPB): 196.2 IP, 2.52 ERA, 1.058 WHIP, 195 K
Hey look, another Japanese star ready for his close-up. Itoh didn't factor into Japan's 2023 WBC title much at all (although he did pitch a 1-2-3 sixth inning against Team USA in the final). But with the likes of Yu Darvish, Shota Imanaga, Roki Sasaki and Shohei Ohtani (who will serve as a DH only in this year's tournament) no longer factoring into the rotation, big things are expected of Itoh in support of staff ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
Itoh sure seems ready for the challenge. He won the Sawamura Award (Japan's version of the Cy Young) in 2025, leading the league in both innings pitched and strikeouts, and he brings a deep arsenal highlighted by the best fastball in Japan along with a dynamite slider and splitter.
5. OF/DH Alfredo Despaigne, Cuba
- Age: 39
- Career stats (NPB/Cuba): .306/.405/.564, 451 HR
Let's pause for a moment to pay some respect to a legend of international baseball. Despaigne's best days are behind him as he nears his 40th birthday, but he might well be the most accomplished hitter of the modern era to never appear in an MLB game.
After a few years tearing up Cuba's domestic league, he became a star in NPB, earning three All-Star nods while helping the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks win four straight Japan Series titles. He's obviously closer to the end of his career than the beginning of it (he was released by the Hawks in 2023), but he's still got an awful lot of pop in that bat, and he knows this stage all too well.
6. INF Travis Bazzana, Australia
- Age: 23
- MLB Pipeline prospect ranking: 20
- 2025 stats (Double-A/Triple-A): .245/.389/.424, 9 HR, 12 SB
A former high-school cricket star in Sydney, Bazzana came to Oregon State for college, where he was so good that the Cleveland Guardians took him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. After conquering both levels of the high Minors last season, he's now poised to break camp as Cleveland's starting second baseman on Opening Day, combining elite on-base ability with solid power and speed at a premium position. Australia probably doesn't have the depth to compete with the true heavyweights in the field this year, but it could allow Bazzana to introduce himself on the global stage.
7. INF Michael Arroyo, Colombia
- Age: 21
- MLB Pipeline prospect ranking: 67
- 2025 stats (High-A/Double-A): .262/.401/.433, 17 HR, 12 SB
Colombia's infield features a couple of veteran big-leaguers in Gio Urshela and Donovan Solano, but it's Arroyo who brings the upside. It's unclear whether his ultimate defensive home lies at shortstop, second base or elsewhere; wherever he winds up, though, it sure seems like Arroyo's going to hit. He's not the biggest guy at 5-foot-10, but he absolutely stings the ball, all without sacrificing his approach at the plate or his ability to draw walks. Along with Colt Emerson, he could anchor the Mariners' infield for years to come.
8. RHP Elmer Rodriguez, Puerto Rico
- Age: 22
- MLB Pipeline prospect ranking: 82
- 2025 stats (High-A/Double-A): 150 IP, 2.58 ERA, 1.073 WHIP, 176 K
Acquired from the Boston Red Sox in the Carlos Narvaez deal last spring, Rodriguez has done nothing but shoot up prospect rankings since coming to the Yankees, dominating two levels of the Minors with a deep arsenal and a real ability to throw strikes and keep the ball on the ground. He could well find himself making starts in the Bronx later this year if he hits the ground running, but first he'll hope to help anchor a Puerto Rico rotation that finds itself in a tough spot given the absences of Francisco Lindor, Carlos Correa and more stars.
9. OF Hyun Min Anh, Korea
- Age: 22
- 2025 stats (KBO): .334/.448/.570, 22 HR, 7 SB
Anh put up that gaudy slash line in just 112 games, and he did so as a 21-year-old rookie in the KBO. It's awfully impressive power from the right side; you can tell that he was a catcher when he was younger, although he's transitioned to the outfield now. He's going to need to keep on hitting if Korea wants to not only advance out of Pool C (which also includes Japan, Chinese Taipei and Australia) but make some noise in the knockout rounds.
10. C/OF Harry Ford, Canada
- Age: 23
- MLB Pipeline prospect ranking: 71
- 2025 stats (Triple-A): .283/.408/.460, 16 HR, 7 SB
Blocked by Cal Raleigh in Seattle, Ford was sent to the Nationals in a trade this winter, where he'll finally have a wide-open runway to establish himself on a rebuilding Washington team. It's an opportunity that's been a long time coming: Ford first started appearing on top prospect lists a full four or five years ago, thanks to his advanced approach at the plate (especially for a catcher). He's a better athlete than you'd expect at the position — there's a reason the Mariners flirted with him in the outfield — and when you combine that 15 homers and a solid batting average, you have a potential starting catcher for years to come.
11. RHP Joseph Contreras, Brazil
- Age: 17
- MLB Pipeline 2026 draft ranking: 47
Ready to feel old? Joseph is the son of Jose Contreras, the Cuban-born star who arrived in the Majors to a ton of fanfare in the early 2000s. He went on to pitch for a full decade in the States, and now Joseph enters his senior season at Georgia's Blessed Trinity Catholic High School as one of the top prep pitchers in the 2026 draft class (though he's currently committed to Vanderbilt). He's also the youngest player in the WBC field at just 17 years of age, and this will be one heck of a test as he's tasked with leading an unproven Brazil rotation.