The World Baseball Classic is back, and this year more than any other, the tournament is finally living up to its billing as an assembly of the best baseball talent the world has to offer. Team USA has gotten buy-in from its best and brightest. The Dominican Republic is running out a lineup that wouldn't look out of place at the Midsummer Classic. And neither of them are the defending champions, as Team Japan is once again led by arguably the most singular player the sport has ever seen in Shohei Ohtani. The names go on and on.
But in competition featuring the very best of the best, who is the best at each position? That's the question we've set out to answer today. Below are our picks for the 2026 All-WBC Team, with one player at each position (plus five starting pitchers and a reliever) who stands just a cut above the rest. Let the debate begin.
The 2026 All-World Baseball Classic team
C: Cal Raleigh, United States
With all due respect to MLB stars like William Contreras of Venezuela and Alejandro Kirk of Mexico, how can it not be the guy who just became the first catcher to hit 60 homers in a season — as a switch hitter, no less? Even before his 2025 breakout, Raleigh had quietly blossomed into one of the better two-way catchers in the sport, and elite framer who's now finally learned how to make enough contact to make his plus power and patience at the plate play up. He's the total package, and his upside with the bat (combined with his floor with the glove) make him a difference-maker for Team USA.
Runner-up: William Contreras, Venezuela
1B: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Dominican Republic
Count me among those who think we've all gotten a little too down on Bryce Harper, who remains an elite hitter when healthy despite his struggles last season. But come on: Vladdy has been coming for this crown for some time now, and he deserves it after posting an .848 OPS in 2025 while leading Toronto to the precipice of a World Series title.
Some people merely look at the home run totals and somehow think that Guerrero Jr. is overrated, but don't be fooled. He's one of the best pure hitters on planet Earth, nearly impossible to get out when he's locked in. (Just ask the Yankees.) His combination of plate coverage and power is rare indeed, and I trust him slightly more than Harper at this stage in their respective careers.
Runner-up: Bryce Harper, United States
2B: Jazz Chisholm Jr., Great Britain
Perhaps this is slanderous to Dominican Ketel Marte, who was indeed the most valuable second baseman in the sport last year. But I can't shake the feeling that Chisholm is about ready to explode this year, and the WBC could be his launch pad. The tools are undeniable: The speed, the power, the smooth actions in the field. The plate approach will always leave a bit to be desired, but he's among the most dynamic two-way players in the sport when he's right, with a ceiling that few can match. Marte has put together back-to-back sensational seasons, but I'm betting on the 27-year-old riser (and throwing Great Britain some love).
Runner-up: Ketel Marte, Dominican Republic
3B: Gunnar Henderson, United States
Jose Ramirez won't be participating for the Dominican Republic this year, which creates an opportunity for someone else to seize the crown at the hot corner. And for my money, it's Henderson, who would've finished second in fWAR among all third basemen last season ... despite battling an oblique injury that sapped his power at the plate.
That's the kind of five-tool talent we're talking about here: He's so skilled that even his down seasons are plenty productive. And we've seen what happens when he's healthy; he's just a year removed from putting up an .893 OPS with 37 homers and 21 steals, remember. No one else in this tournament — not the declining Manny Machado, not the electrifying Maikel Garcia — matches his broad base of skills. How Mark DeRosa manages Henderson, Bobby Witt Jr. and Alex Bregman on the left side of the U.S. infield will be fascinating to watch.
Runner-up: Maikel Garcia, Venezuela
SS: Bobby Witt Jr., United States
Speaking of Witt Jr.: Is it possible he's become somehow underrated already? Lost in the hubbub around the AL MVP race between Raleigh and Aaron Judge was the fact that the Royals shortstop put up yet another ridiculous season, with 23 homers, 38 steals and an .852 OPS. Oh, and he does all that while playing elite shortstop defense, in a Kansas City lineup where every opponent gameplan is focused on him.
Shortstop isn't quite as loaded as you'd think in this year's tournament, with Geraldo Perdomo and Jeremy Pena among the other available options. But Witt Jr. is one of the three or four best position players in the Majors, full stop.
Runner-up: Geraldo Perdomo, Dominican Republic
OF: Aaron Judge, United States; Julio Rodriguez, Dominican Republic; Juan Soto, Dominican Republic
A downright comical embarrassment of riches. You could build three full All-Star-caliber outfields from this WBC field, so much so that names like Acuña Jr., Chourio and Tatis Jr. don't even make the cut. All of those players, great as they are, have the misfortune of sharing a competition with arguably the two best hitters in the sport today in Judge and Soto. It would be impossible to complete this exercise without starting with those two.
You could quibble with the third selection. But I wanted a true center fielder here to balance out the two corner sluggers, and Rodriguez is about as good as they come — a 30/30 machine who's elite defensively and is still just 25 years old. And the crazy part is he might not have even scraped his ceiling yet.
Runners-up: Ronald Acuña Jr., Venezuela; Seiya Suzuki, Japan; Jackson Chourio, Venezuela
DH: Shohei Ohtani, Japan
Was there any doubt? All due respect to Kyle Schwarber, but he's just not quite in Ohtani's league as a hitter. And while he won't be pitching for Japan in this tournament, it would be criminal to build an all-WBC team without the man who's looking for a fourth consecutive MVP Award this year.
Runner-up: Kyle Schwarber, United States
Starting rotation:
Paul Skenes, United States
Tarik Skubal, United States
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Japan
Cristopher Sanchez, Dominican Republic
Logan Webb, United States
If you want to know why this time will be different for Team USA, this is a good place to start. The Americans have had a hard time getting elite pitchers to participate in past WBCs, but this time they'll roll out the two best pitchers in the Majors and the reigning NL and AL Cy Young winners, respectively. Skenes and Skubal require no introduction, and their spots here are secure.
So too is Yamamoto's, especially after the legacy run he went on while carrying the Dodgers to a second straight World Series title last fall. Japan might need something similar if they want to repeat as champions. From there the field opens up a bit, but Sanchez gave Skenes a genuine run for his money in the NL Cy race last season and appears to only be getting better as he enters his age-29 season. If you wanted to argue for Ranger Suarez or Sandy Alcantara (I still believe!) or, heck, even NPB ace Hiromi Itoh for the fifth spot, I wouldn't fight you too much. In the end, though, Webb just keeps on taking the ball every fifth day and churning out quality starts, and that metronomic consistency earns him the nod.
Runners-up: Ranger Suarez, Venezuela; Sandy Alcantara, Dominican Republic; Hiromi Itoh, Japan; Aaron Nola, Italy; Seth Lugo, Puerto Rico
Closer: Mason Miller, United States
You could build one heck of a bullpen from the best relievers taking part in the WBC, a group that includes Edwin Diaz of Puerto Rico, Andres Munoz of Mexico, Abner Uribe of the Dominican Republic and David Bednar for Team USA. But did you see what Miller did to the Chicago Cubs in last year's postseason? The man sits triple-digits with a wipeout breaking ball, and he seemingly has no issue going multiple innings if needed. He struck out 104 batters in 61.2 innings last season. Case closed.
Runner-up: Edwin Diaz, Puerto Rico