The Dominican Republic, 2013 World Baseball Classic champions, return for the 2026 tournament with arguably its most impressive roster yet. 

While Japan has a population of almost 123 million and the United States has a population exceeding 341 million, the Dominican Republic has only 11 million residents and a diaspora of about 4 million from which to draw a national baseball team. Despite this massive gap in the size of talent pools, the Dominican Republic might be the country most Americans think of when someone mentions foreign players in the Majors. To show why that is, and hopefully earn the nation’s second world title, it has constructed what I consider to be one of the best baseball teams of all time. 

I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that the 2026 WBC is slated to see the most talent of any international baseball tournament in the sport’s long history, and I would contend that at least four of the national teams (and probably more) are in the Top 50 baseball teams ever assembled. If this team were transferred into the Majors, it’d be the odds-on favorites to win the World Series. Most of these names need little introduction, so for this preview I’ll be changing up the format a bit. Let’s dive into Plátano Power – 2026 edition. 

Team Captain Manny Machado has had a long, storied and controversial career in Major League Baseball, but what is not in doubt is his raw athletic ability. At 33 years old, Machado has logged 14 seasons in MLB with numbers and accolades that make him a surefire future Hall-of-Famer. A seven-time All Star, three-time Silver Slugger and two-time Gold Glove winner, Machado has put up 61.7 Wins Above Replacement (WAR), 369 home runs, 1,144 RBI and 2,069 hits. By advanced and counting statistics, he’s a remarkable ballplayer. Machado has seen WBC action before, being part of the Dominican Republic’s roster in both 2017 and 2023. In ten games, Machado has recorded 11 hits, three home runs and six RBI. 

Examining who will join Machado on the infield produces further disbelief. Five-time All Star first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., three-time All Star and 2023 NLCS MVP Ketel Marte, criminally-underrated All Star and Silver Slugger Geraldo Perdomo, 2022 World Series MVP and defensive wizard Jeremy Peña, 300-homer journeyman Carlos Santana, contact and speed threat Amed Rosario and rising Tampa Bay Rays star Junior Caminero make up the infield roster for the Dominican Republic. Opponents will not find smoother sailing in the outfield. 

You’d be hard pressed to pick a single player to highlight among Plátano Power’s outfielders. One of the greatest all-around hitters of the generation, Juan Soto, seems stunningly par for the course alongside Mariners’ franchise face Julio Rodriguez and the ever-dangerous Fernando Tatis Jr.  Electric arm talent in the form of Oneil Cruz as well as defensive-minded centerfielder Johan Rojas round out an impressive outfield cadre. 

Catching is where the team starts to show one of its scant few weaknesses. Young New York Yankees backstop Austin Wells, whose mother is Dominican, is likely to be its starting catcher. His 2024 turned heads enough for him to finish third in Rookie of the Year voting, but his 2025 failed to live up to the same expectations. Still, Wells is just over two full seasons worth of games into his Major League career. Joining him behind the dish will be recent Miami Marlins debutant Agustín Ramírez. Ramirez slugged well, hitting 21 home runs, 33 doubles and a triple in 2025. The Santo Domingo native showed similar power in the Minors, something Dominican fans are surely on the lookout for in the 2026 Classic. 

Moving over to pitching, we find one of the best staffs in WBC history. Christopher Sánchez, Luis Severino, Brayan Bello and Sandy Alcantara will start (in that order) against Nicaragua, the Netherlands, Israel and Venezuela. The relief core is made up of noteworthy names such as Albert Abreu, Wandy Peralta, Abner Uribe, Camilo Doval, Carlos Estévez and Seranthony Domínguez. Dominant would quite possibly undersell this group of hurlers. 

Albert Pujols, one of the sport’s greatest of all time and most recent entrant into the 700 home run club, will manage his nation’s team in the 2026 tournament. He’ll be hoping to bring redemption after a disappointing 2023. The Dominicans suffered a punch in the jaw when they lost 5-1 to Venezuela on the first day of pool play, but recovered for back-to-back wins against Nicaragua and Israel. With their potential advancement out of the initial round of the Classic in the balance, they played one of the most electric baseball games of all time against Puerto Rico on March 15. It turned out to be a losing effort, as the widely-praised Dominicans lost 5-2 and failed to advance in the WBC. 

While Pujols does not have major league management experience yet, he led the Leones del Escogido to the 2024-25 Dominican Professional Baseball League title and their first Caribbean Series championship since 2012 in his first year as a full-time manager. He is now under contract with the Estrellas Orientales, and will manage for them in the 2026-27 winter season. While it cannot be easy to balance the big egos and characters that inhabit the Dominican Republic locker room, I can’t think of a better choice to do it than the nation’s greatest hitter ever. 

This team is rightfully a favorite to win the entire tournament – but can they? Will they?

Best-case Scenario:

4-0 in pool play, with an undefeated run through the knockout round to win their second WBC Championship. For the first time in this preview series, we have a team that can convincingly call their best-case scenario a realistic goal. Venezuela will be hard to beat in the pool stage, but on paper the Dominicans have the edge. In the quarterfinals, they would face the runner-up of Pool C in Tokyo – likely Korea or Chinese Taipei – and in the semifinals, it seems very likely that they would face the United States. If they can get through those two, what may be waiting for them in the Championship Game would be Japan, Puerto Rico or any other number of Cinderella teams. But the truth is, it almost doesn’t matter. A best-case Dominican Republic team would beat any of the other nineteen squads in the Classic. 

Worst-case Scenario: 

2-2, failing to advance but qualifying for the next WBC. The last Classic was the worst-case scenario for the Dominican Republic, but in its defense, it had been placed in a pool with Puerto Rico and Venezuela. Even so, the mistakes and missteps that led to the embarrassing failure of 2023 could be present again in 2026. It seems unlikely given the raw power of this team, its new manager and the searing effect that last tournament’s loss had on Plátano Power. But unlikely is not impossible. 

The Likely Scenario: 

4-0 in pool play, with an undefeated run through the knockout round to win its second WBC Championship. Throughout this entire process of research and writing, it was very, very hard to predict anything less than a title for the Dominican Republic in 2026. My gut just thinks this team has something special about it. But because of the bracket format, the famous unpredictability of baseball and the strength of the United States, Japan and Venezuela, it’s a tough call to make. I’m ready to be wrong. But with the US roster shakier than initially believed, the longtime American mental struggle to regard this tournament as more than a big exhibition and Japan’s early uncertainties under manager Hirokazu Ibata, I am giving an ever-so-slight edge to the Dominican Republic. 

Batter to Watch: 

Geraldo Perdomo – I mentioned earlier that Perdomo is criminally underrated. Don’t commit that crime while watching this year’s World Baseball Classic. Coming off of a 7-WAR campaign in which he obliterated virtually all of his previous career highs and finished fourth-place in National League MVP voting, Perdomo is going to be looking to take his stardom from the desert to the worldwide stage. You won’t want to miss the show if he does. 

Pitcher to Watch: 

Wandy Peralta – A free agent as of writing, Peralta pitched 71.2 innings in 2025 for San Diego, notching a 3.14 ERA with six wins and only one losing decision. Pitcher wins are not what they once were, but they are still a clear indicator of Peralta giving his team a chance to win. It was the most innings Peralta had ever pitched in a single season, and he accordingly struck out a career-high 63 of the batters he faced. The lefty will almost certainly be using the WBC as a proving ground upon which he can earn a big contract for the 2026 season.