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Travis Bazzana (Photo by Yuki Taguchi/WBCI/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

The 2026 World Baseball Classic is set to begin this week, with this year’s field featuring many of the best players from around the globe. A number of those WBC rosters will also include top prospects that can be found ranked in Baseball America’s Top 30 lists or our Top 100 Prospects.

And while a number of teams, such as the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Japan and Korea, either have no ranked prospects or no prospect-eligible players on their roster at all, there are still plenty of exciting names to know for when games begin on Thursday.

Australia

Travis Bazzana, 2B, Guardians

Prospect Rank: Cleveland’s No. 1 & No. 22 in BA’s Top 100 Prospects

Scouting Report: Bazzana’s profile hasn’t changed significantly since draft day, and his combination of hitting prowess and usable power gives him occasional all-star upside. He’s expected to play for Australia in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. After that, he shouldn’t need much more minor league time before assuming Cleveland’s everyday second base job and adding more length to their lineup.

Brazil

Joseph Contreras, RHP, Blessed Trinity Catholic HS, Roswell, Ga.

Prospect Rank: No. 34 on BA’s 2026 MLB Draft Board

Scouting Report: Contreras is the son of Jose Contreras, who pitched 11 seasons in the major leagues after signing with the Yankees when he left Cuba. Joseph Contreras is a 6-foot-4, 195-pound righthander with long levers and tons of physical projection. As he’s gotten older and stronger, his velocity has ticked up significantly, from topping out around 91 in 2024 to sitting 92-96 mph and touching 98 in 2025. He shows feel for an 83-86 mph slider that flashes plus, spins in the 2,400-2,800 rpm range and flashes good depth. He has multiple offspeed pitches led by a unique vulcan-grip forkball with low spin rates and hard tumbling action in the mid 70s and a more typical changeup with armside fade in the low 80s. Contreras is a Vanderbilt commit who’s young for the class and has first-round upside.

Canada

Owen Caissie, OF, Marlins

Prospect Rank: Miami’s No. 4 & No. 43 in BA’s Top 100 Prospects

Scouting Report: Caissie profiles as a major league-ready, slugging corner outfielder with the requisite plate skills to project as an above-average regular. Following his acquisition, he is well positioned to crack the Marlins’ Opening Day roster and contribute immediately to the middle of the lineup.

Tyler Black, INF/OF, Brewers

Prospect Rank: Milwaukee’s No. 27

Scouting Report: As a 25-year-old, Black is now on the older end for a prospect. If the injury was what led to his struggles in 2025, he’s a rebound candidate. However, with questions about his offensive profile at the positions he now plays, a path to playing time in Milwaukee is difficult, making him a potential change-of-scenery candidate.

Colombia

Michael Arroyo, SS, Mariners

Prospect Rank: Seattle’s No. 5

Scouting Report: After the 2025 season, the Mariners decided to give Arroyo time in the outfield to lessen his defensive demands, take advantage of his average speed and create an avenue to playing time with the organization’s crowded infield. Arroyo is expected to return to Double-A to open the 2026 season.

Great Britain

Harry Ford, C, Nationals

Prospect Rank: Washington’s No. 3 & No. 99 in BA’s Top 100 Prospects

Scouting Report: Ford faced a future in Seattle blocked by all-star Cal Raleigh. Now, he has a much clearer path to playing time in Washington, where he has a good chance to win a share of the catcher job alongside Keibert Ruiz, who is locked into a team-friendly deal through the 2030 season.

 Gary Gill Hill, RHP, Rays

Prospect Rank: Tampa Bay’s No. 27

Scouting Report: Gill Hill shows flashes of velocity that would make him a midrotation starter, and the 21-year-old is still young enough to add more strength and stuff. His current arsenal doesn’t miss many bats, but his plus control and durability make him a useful back-of-the-rotation arm.

Israel

Cole Carrigg, 1B, Rockies

Prospect Rank: Colorado’s No. 6

Scouting Report: While 2025 marked the toughest season of his career, Carrigg’s tools remain intact, and with adjustments to his approach, he still has a chance to have a role as an everyday player. His defense, athleticism and speed make him a useful player if he hits enough to make an impact, but, like a number of Rockies prospects, he has to make better swing decisions to make it all work.

RJ Schreck, OF, Blue Jays

Prospect Rank: Toronto’s No. 8

Scouting Report: Schreck looks like a second-division regular with a bat-driven profile.

Charlie Beilenson, RHP, Mariners

Prospect Rank: Seattle’s No. 29

Scouting Report: While Beilenson is already 26, his feel for an unusually deep arsenal makes him a prime candidate for a high-leverage relief role in the big leagues.

Italy

Dante Nori, OF, Phillies

Prospect Rank: Philadelphia’s No. 7

Scouting Report: Nori will return to Double-A Reading, where his experience in colder weather will help him survive the early months in the Eastern League. He has a chance to be a table-setter who gets on base and holds down center field, but he’ll need plenty of work to reach that ceiling.

Sam Antonacci, 2B, White Sox

Prospect Rank: Chicago’s No. 7

Scouting Report: Few doubt that Antonacci will hit, but the rest of his game will need to continue to improve to become a major league contributor. The increase in his exit velocities and his performance in the AFL—1.046 OPS in 19 games—are positive signs that he can fill a big league role.

Nick Morabito, OF, Mets

Prospect Rank: New York’s No. 11

Scouting Report: The Mets added Morabito to the 40-man roster in November to shield him from the Rule 5 draft. Time at Triple-A is on tap to help him hone his speed and defense, which are potential carrying tools that give him a chance to become an extra outfielder.

Andrew Fischer, 3B, Brewers

Prospect Rank: Milwaukee’s No. 12

Scouting Report: Fischer was one of the more complete offensive threats available in the 2025 draft. He could be up in Milwaukee by 2027, either at third base or first base, with the upside to hit in the middle of their lineup.

Sam Aldegheri, LHP, Angels

Prospect Rank: Los Angeles’ No. 15

Scouting Report: Aldegheri’s pitchability and floor will give him a chance to crack the Angels’ rotation in 2026. To reach his back-end starter ceiling, he’ll need to prove his late-season progress wasn’t a fluke.

Netherlands

 Druw Jones, OF, Diamondbacks

Prospect Rank: Arizona’s No. 17

Scouting Report: Jones managed to produce for a short stretch last year; doing it for closer to a full season is his next challenge. If he can, he still might have some offensive upside he can deliver along with his plus defensive abilities.

Antwone Kelly, RHP, Pirates

Prospect Rank: Pittsburgh’s No. 8

Scouting Report: Kelly’s velocity spike raised his ceiling. If his slider takes a similar step forward in 2026, he projects as a midrotation starter with the fallback as a late-inning reliever who can overpower hitters. An MLB debut in 2026 isn’t out of the question after he closed 2025 at Double-A Altoona.

Jaitoine Kelly, RHP, Diamondbacks

Prospect Rank: Arizona’s No. 27

Scouting Report: Kelly has a long way to go but has significant upside given his arm and frame. If it all comes together, he has the potential to be a midrotation starter.

Panama

Leo Bernal, C, Cardinals

Prospect Rank: St. Louis’ No. 10

Scouting Report: Bernal looks like a rotation catcher who will see most of his starts against lefthanded pitchers. Improvements to his lefthanded swing and blocking ability could push him into everyday catcher territory.

Enrique Bradfield Jr., OF, Orioles

Prospect Rank: Baltimore’s No. 8

Scouting Report: There’s little doubt that Bradfield can help a major league team as an everyday outfielder thanks to his speed and defense, and his current offensive trajectory points toward that kind of floor. He’ll be back at Triple-A Norfolk to start 2026 and could make his major league debut over the summer.

Puerto Rico

 Elmer Rodriguez, RHP, Yankees

Prospect Rank: New York’s No. 2 & No. 59 in BA’s Top 100 Prospects

Scouting Report: Rodriguez began the year in High-A and ended it with a cameo in Triple-A, where he should begin the 2026 season. He has a chance to make his big league debut at some point after midseason and could one day settle in as a midrotation starter with a chance for a little bit more depending on how his body fills out as he matures.

Taiwan

 Wei-En Lin, LHP, Athletics

Prospect Rank: Athletics’ No. 5

Scouting Report: After a revelatory 2025, Lin is one of the Athletics’ more intriguing young arms. He would benefit from added power and more chase from his secondary pitches, and he must prove his stuff plays against upper-level hitters, but his pitchability gives him a high floor and midrotation upside.

Hao-Yu Lee, 2B, Tigers

Prospect Rank: Detroit’s No. 6

Scouting Report: Lee has many of the same strengths and weaknesses as Jace Jung and Max Anderson, which leads to a bit of a logjam at Triple-A. Lee’s defense is better than either Jung or Anderson, however, and he has some defensive versatility. On a Tigers team whose lineup is getting more and more lefthanded, Lee’s ability to produce quality at-bats against lefties could help him carve out a platoon role.

Yu-Min Lin, LHP, Diamondbacks

Prospect Rank: Arizona’s No. 15

Scouting Report: Lin’s ability to generate tremendous spin on both his curveball and slider gives him a decent floor, but the lack of power in his repertoire limits his ceiling. He still has back-end starter potential but will need to get better results than he did in 2025.

United States

Nolan McLean, RHP, Mets

Prospect Rank: New York’s No. 1 & No. 8 in BA’s Top 100 Prospects

Scouting Report: In the words of one scout, McLean’s high-spin breaking stuff and low-spin changeup are “how you draw it up.” He showed in his eight-start MLB debut that he is major league ready. He was the Mets’ best pitcher down the stretch and is ready to assume a prominent role in the rotation. He has the ingredients to become a prototype No. 2 starter. McLean retains his rookie status for 2026 and will likely add Prospect Promotion Incentive eligibility, giving the Mets a chance to add a draft pick after the first round if he factors for a major award in his first three seasons.