Now that the group stage of the 2026 World Baseball Classic is over, it’s time to reflect. We got a good look at not just the present-day stars of MLB but also prospects who could represent the future of the league. And, there were some standout performers among that group of prospects.
Owen Caissie
We’ll start with Owen Caissie, a prospect with MLB experience and one who was going to be leaned upon by Team Canada. Caissie did very well, helping lead the country to its first-ever appearance in the quarterfinals.
Caissie had seven hits, tied for the team lead with Abraham Toro, and a home run in the group stage. The Marlins outfielder also had four total extra-base hits in Canada’s four pool play games.
The left-handed hitter struck out five times (42.5% total Whiff% between exhibition & group play), and for those who followed Caissie in the Cubs’ system, that shouldn’t be a shock. He is going to strike out a lot. Nonetheless, Caissie is ready for a long look in the Majors.
Joseph Contreras
Look, the expectations for a 17-year-old in the World Baseball Classic should not be that high. However, when taking into account that Joseph Contreras is A) a high-end high school prospect and B) the son of former big leaguer Jose Contreras, things change somewhat (not really, though).
Joseph Contreras did about as well as one should expect on this stage. The young right-hander walked six over 2.2 IP but showed some impressive stuff along the way. He threw a scoreless second inning in Team USA’s game against Brazil. That included a big swing-and-miss and a shredded bat from Aaron Judge.
On the FOX broadcast, it was remarked that Joseph Contreras wanted to get Statcast tracking on his pitches, not shocking when you think about it. Teams rely heavily on metrics these days — and those teams got it during the World Baseball Classic.
Contreras doesn’t get a lot of extension on his fastball, only around 5.9 to six inches. On the other hand, though, he throws 97-98 MPH, already a formidable fastball. We also got a look at a good changeup in terms of movement and separation, sitting anywhere from 79-84 MPH.
Harry Ford
Three years ago, Harry Ford had a breakout run in the 2023 WBC. Ford’s 2026 WBC wasn’t as impressive. However, you like to see young players do good things before the start of the regular season.
The Nationals catcher hit a home run against Mexico, which gave him his third World Baseball Classic home run (he hit two in 2023). On the other hand, he struck out five times in four WBC games with Great Britain. And taking into account the exhibition games, Ford’s Whiff% with GB was over 39%.
Ford has an opportunity for playing time in Washington this season. He just needs to take it.
Dante Nori
Team Italy and manager Francisco Cervelli leaned heavily on the youngsters in the group stage — a strategy that worked. Second-year Major Leaguer Kyle Teel hit well before suffering a hamstring injury. Sam Antonacci and Andrew Fischer both went yard in pool play, as well.
Dante Nori, a 2024 first-round pick, might have been the big breakout star. A strong outfielder, albeit one who didn’t show a ton of home run power last season, hit two home runs in pool play. Both came off breaking balls against Brazil.
The 21-year-old only hit four last season, so don’t expect a big jump in 2026. However, the group stage did showcase what Nori can do with the stick. One of the hallmarks of his game is that he doesn’t swing and miss much. And in the group stage, he only struck out once.
Lucas Ramirez
Lastly, we can’t forget about Lucas Ramirez.
Ramirez, a 17th-round pick by the Angels in 2024, hit well in the ACL last season, slashing .282/.374/.454 over 49 contests. And heading into what will likely be his first season in full-season ball, Ramírez is off to a fast start.
The 20-year-old took Logan Webb deep in his first at-bat of the World Baseball Classic. And in that same game, Ramirez also hit a high fly-ball off Gabe Speier that left. It didn’t stop there, as Ramirez also showed a good arm in the field, as well.
Now, in total, Ramirez’s run with Brazil wasn’t a 10 out of 10. He struck out five times in four WBC games and whiffed over 40% of the time (including exhibition) in total, lone blemishes on the radar. But for a 20-year-old who didn’t come into the tourney as a high-end prospect, the tourney went extremely well for the son of Manny Ramirez.
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