World Baseball Classic: Team Venezuela Roster News, Notes, and Analysis

If you are a sports fanatic such as myself, the year 2026 is going to be an exciting one. Not only do we get our full catalog of college and professional sports, but there are three global competitions on top of that: the Winter Olympics, the World Cup, and the World Baseball Classic.

All of the major players are looking to take the crown in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, with Team USA and Team Japan as the clear favorites. Venezuela will be entering the tournament looking to play spoiler and taking this year’s crown after having up-and-down showings in the previous iterations of this tournament.

In the original 2006 World Baseball Classic, Venezuela finished with a 3-3 record, failing to make it out of the second round of pool play. They followed up this performance in 2009 with a stellar 6-2 record, winning Pool C over powerhouses like the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and United States. After knocking off Puerto Rico and the USA for a second time in the tournament, Venezuela was eliminated in the semi-finals by South Korea.

The next two WBCs for Team Venezuela were not nearly as kind. In 2013, they went 1-2 and failed to qualify for the second round. 2017 was an even worse showing, failing to win a game (0-3). In previous years, this showing would have caused Venezuela to then have to qualify for the next tournament, but due to the pandemic it was announced all 16 national teams would automatically qualify.

Venezuela stormed back with a vengeance in 2023, going 4-0 in pool play, with wins over the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Nicaragua, and Israel. They entered the quarterfinals in Miami, facing off against the United States of America. In a thrilling game that featured 16 runs, 23 hits, and over 10 future hall of famers, the USA eliminated Venezuela in a famously heartbreaking fashion.

Full rosters and coaching staffs have officially been released, and this just may be the best team Venezuela has ever rostered. Let’s take a look at who they are.

World Baseball Classic: Team Venezuela Roster

The 2026 version of Team Venezuela sports familiar faces all over the diamond. Five position players and seven pitchers are set to return from the 2023 team.

Position Players

At catcher, Venezuela will be returning veteran Salvador Perez once again. This year, however, we should see newcomer William Contreras spend the majority of time behind the dish, pushing Perez to DH.

One of the better stories of the entire tournament will be seeing William and Willson Contreras sharing the field.

While Jose Altuve is the biggest notable omission from the roster, the infield is more than capable of performing as the best in the entire tournament with Gleyber Torres, Andrés Giménez, and Maikel Garcia rounding it out. And if you thought that was it, off the bench Team Venezuela will be able to deploy Luis Arráez, Ezequiel Tovar, and Eugenio Suárez at anytime.

The outfield is highlighted by superstar Ronald Acuña Jr. Now 100% healthy, he will look to help lead his team further in the tournament than ever before. Wilyer Abreu and rising star Jackson Chourio will line up in the outfield alongside of him, with utility man Javier Sanoja available off the bench.

In terms of fWAR from the 2025 season, Team Venezuela will have 4.1 fWAR behind the plate, 14.9 fWAR in the infield, and 9.6 fWAR in the outfield. This is one of the more formidable rosters in the entire tournament that I believe is not getting talked about enough.

Pitching Staff

Last tournament, Martin Perez was the only starting pitcher for Venezuela to make more than one start. While he is not on this year’s roster, he will be replaced by Ranger Suárez.

Also missing from this year’s roster will be Jesus Luzardo. While there is not a Suarez-level replacement for him, both Germán Márquez and Antonio Senzatela will look to provide the team with valuable innings.

Eduardo Rodriguez returns for this year’s tournament, looking for a better performance than his two inning outing last time around. Pablo López was slotted to return as well, but on Monday he left spring training with an injury to his UCL, so he will need to be replaced on the roster.

Read more

International

World Baseball Classic: Team DR Roster News, Notes, and Analysis

International

World Baseball Classic: Team Cuba News, Notes, and Analysis

If there is one weakness on paper for Team Venezuela, it will be the bullpen.

José Alvarado will give Venezuela a power arm at the back of their bullpen to help close games out. Daniel Palencia looks to back Alvardo up after recording 22 saves for the Chicago Cubs last season.

A handful of current big leaguers will provide as the bridge to these two in Detriot’s Keider Montero, Seattle’s Eduard Bazardo, Milwaukee’s Angel Zerpa, and San Francisco’s José Buttó.

Carlos Guzman is a New York Mets minor leaguer, and Oddanier Mosqueda in the St Louis Cardinal’s system will also be on the team.

Finally, a trio of former minor leaguers who are now professionals abroad will be set to support Team Venezuela. Ricardo Sánchez pitched for Union Laguna of the Mexican League last season, while Enmanuel De Jesus for KT Wiz of the KBO and Andrés Machado for the Orix Buffaloes of the Japan Pacific League.

Coaching and Administrative Staff

The coaching staff for Team Venezuela is filled with names most baseball fans will recognize.

At the top, Houston Astros bench coach Omar López returns as the manager for his second WBC. Alongside López will be five-time All-Star and 16-year MLB veteran Victor Martinez, who played for Venezuela in the 2006 and 2017 iterations of the tournament.

Robinson Chirinos will take over a bench coach after participating in the 2017 and 2023 WBCs for Venezuela and an 11-year MLB career of his own.

Two time Cy Young award winner Johan Santana will provide a star-studded rotation with knowledge and wisdom as pitching coach. Detriot Tigers pitching coordinator Jorge Córdova will serve as Omar López’s bullpen coach.

On the hitting side of things, Venezuela might just have the best in the tournament. Miguel Cabrera will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer in the coming years and had previously played in all five previous iterations of the World Baseball Classic. Possibly the most prestigious Venezuelan baseball player in history will join the coaching staff as hitting coach. With Miggy will be Carlos Mendez, who last served as a hitting coach for the Atlanta Braves.

Rounding out the staff is 12-year MLB veteran Gerardo Parra and current Cleveland Guardians third base coach Rouglas Odor.

Needless to say, the coaching staff that Team Venezuela will be bringing to this year’s World Baseball Classic will be one of the most prestigious and accomplished.

World Baseball Classic: Team Venezuela Schedule

Exhibition Games

Pool Play

Knockout Rounds