Projecting Ideal Rosters For The Dominican Republic, Venezuela & Latin American Teams

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Juan Soto (Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images)

The World Baseball Classic will return in 2026 with the best teams from around the world coming together to see if they can end Japan’s dominance. The defending WBC champs have won three of the six tournaments. Team USA, the 2017 champion and 2023 runner-up, will be looking to return to the top of the podium.

But another excellent question heading into next year is whether a Latin American team can once again reign as WBC champs.

The most notable WBC performance from a Spanish-speaking country was the Dominican Republic knocking off Puerto Rico to win in 2013. Puerto Rico has finished second twice, while Cuba was runner-up in the inaugural WBC in 2006. Venezuela’s best finish is a semifinal appearance in 2009.

With that in mind, today we’ll be taking a closer look at the Latin American powers with an eye toward how their rosters could shape up for next springâ€s World Baseball Classic.

These are ideal rosters and are likely better than the actual rosters will end up being, as not every player agrees to play in the WBC. For this exercise, we are relying on players born in each country along with players who have previously played for the team. For instance, Jarren Duran, who was born in California, has previous experience with Team Mexico and would thus be eligible for the projected 2026 roster.

Dominican Republic

Team Strength: Depth. Along with Team USA and Japan, the Dominican Republic is one of the few teams that has more good options than available spots in the regular lineup. Do you want Manny Machado or José Ramírez at third base? That leaves Junior Caminero as a designated hitter, but Rafael Devers and Samuel Basallo also fit at DH/first base. At shortstop, would you prefer Jeremy Peña or Geraldo Perdomo? Oh, did we mention that the outfield is filled with all-stars? This is a team with Oneil Cruz as an athletic backup.

Team Weakness: If everyone agrees to play, the D.R. has no glaring weaknesses. There may be teams with better starting pitching, but no one would feel bad about sending Framber Valdez, Sandy Alcantara or Luis Castillo to the mound in a big game. The bullpen, which could feature Jhoan Duran and Abner Uribe, is equally stacked.

Projected 2026 Roster

CYainer Diaz1BRafael Devers2BKetel MarteSSJeremy Peña3BJosé RamírezLFFernando Tatis Jr.CFJulio RodríguezRFJuan SotoDHJunior CamineroSPLuis CastilloSPSandy AlcantaraSPFramber ValdezRPJhoan DuranRPAbner UribeRPFeliz BautistaRPRafael Montero

Venezuela

Team Strength: Catching and outfielders. If everyone agrees to play, an outfield of Wilyer Abreu, Jackson Chourio and Ronald Acuña Jr. is excellent. As usual, Venezuela has more catchers than spots on the roster. Salvador Perez has long been a WBC fixture, but the team also has Willson Contreras, Francisco Alvarez and Gabriel Moreno as options.

Team Weakness: Infielders. Venezuela’s infield would be the envy of many lesser teams, but shortstop (Ezequiel Tovar and/or Gabriel Arias) isn’t as strong as multiple other contenders. It’s not a glaring weakness, but most of the Venezuelan infield will be batting at the bottom of the lineup.

Projected 2026 Roster

CFrancisco Alvarez1BWilliam Contreras2BGleyber TorresSSEzequiel Tovar3BMaikel GarciaLFWilyer AbreuCFJackson ChourioRFRonald Acuña Jr.DHEugenio SuarezSPRanger SuarezSPPablo LopezSPJesús LuzardoRPRobert SuarezRPJosé AlvaradoRPEdgardo HenriquezRPDaniel Palencia

Cuba

Team Strength: Outfielders. Randy Arozarena has thrived on the big stages of the MLB postseason and WBC. Andy Pages’ development is a nice addition, too. Yordan Alvarez, meanwhile, could slide to a corner spot in a pinch, although he’s better served as arguably the best DH in the tournament.

Team Weakness: Cohesiveness. To put together the best Cuban team requires piecing together players playing in Japan, Cuba and the United States (and maybe Mexico, too).

Projected 2026 Roster

CEdgar Quero1BYandy Diaz2BAndy IbáñezSSJose Iglesias3BYoán MoncadaLFRandy ArozarenaCFAndy PagesRFLuis RobertDHYordan AlvarezSPNesto CortesSPLivan MonieloSPYariel RodriguezRPAroldis ChapmanRPRaisel IglesiasRPRadiel MartinezRPKendry Rojas

Mexico

Team Strength: Offense. Mexico has a wide array of productive hitters, especially with the emergence of Jonathan Aranda. Combining him, Isaac Paredes, Alejandro Kirk and Jarren Duran at the top of the lineup would give opposing pitchers plenty to worry about.

Team Weakness: Starting pitching. Mexico’s staff has a number of viable pitching candidates, but there isn’t an ace here who can match up with the best other teams can offer.

Projected 2026 Roster

CAlejandro Kirk1BJonathan Aranda2BLuis UriasSSRamon Urias3BIsaac ParedesLFTirso OrnelasCFJarren DuranRFAlek ThomasDHRowdy TellezSPJavier AssadSPValente BellozoSPAlan RangelRPAndrés MuñozRPManuel RodríguezRPGiovanny GallegosRPOmar Cruz

Puerto Rico

Team Strength: Shortstop. The talented triumvirate of Puerto Rican shortstops who arrived in the mid 2010s remains the strength of this team. Francisco Lindor is still one of the game’s best shortstops, while Carlos Correa can handle third base. Javier Baez’s forays in center field provide versatility, too.

Team Weakness: Power. This is a team without many proven thumpers in the lineup. There aren’t a lot of great options at 1B or DH.

Projected 2026 Roster

CChristian Vasquez1BAbimelec Ortiz2BEmmanuel RiveraSSFrancisco Lindor3BCarlos CorreaLFHeliot RamosCFEnrique HernandezRFJavier BaezDHWilli CastroSPJose BerriosSPJorge LópezSPMarcus StromanRPEdwin DiazRPFernando CruzRPJoe JiménezRPElmer Rodriguez-Cruz

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