Top Prospects Who Put Themselves on the Map in Pool Play
Here are five prospects who stood out during pool play in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
When it comes to the game of baseball, there are few moments that compete with the World Baseball Classic in terms of energy, display of talent, and on-field electricity. It’s arguably the purest form of baseball the sport has to offer, and that’s been shown on a bigger stage than ever in 2026.
Alongside the stars of our game, the WBC also provides plenty of opportunities to prospects on the cusp of fantastic careers ahead of them. Let’s face it, not every country can field a roster that’s as strong as the Dominican Republic, United States, or Japan, but this opens the door for many of the league’s future stars.
During pool play in this year’s tournament, many top prospects around the league were seen slugging home runs and getting tough outs on the mound for their respective countries. While doing so, a number of these players put themselves on the map.
Let’s take a look at five prospects who stood out during pool play and truly set themselves apart from the rest of the competition.
Joseph Contreras, Brazil
Only three teams during the WBC failed to win a single game, but many fun moments came from some of these squads. For Brazil, the story of their time in the tournament came from a 17-year-old who hadn’t even pitched beyond high school yet in his baseball journey.
This 17-year-old was Joseph Contreras, son of former major leaguer José Contreras. The Vanderbilt commit is currently ranked as our No. 38 prep prospect in the 2026 class, and he showcased his stuff on the world stage during pool play. The right-hander was called upon in the second inning to face one of the strongest lineups ever, and he delivered in a big way.
After loading the bases, Contreras managed to blow a 97 MPH fastball past Aaron Judge, before throwing a 94 MPH sinker in on the hands, breaking his bat and inducing an inning-ending double play. In addition to his high-90s heater, Contreras showed off a pretty solid changeup that had tons of arm-side fade.
Of course, with Contreras still being just 17 years old, he still has a way to go before he’s a complete, big-league caliber arm, but this was an impressive showing in a huge setting.
Andrew Fischer, Italy
Prior to this year’s tournament, a similar sentiment shared across the league seemed to be that Italy was a pretty solid squad overall. That appears to have been a huge understatement, as they’ve been one of the best teams in the WBC so far, even taking down the United States. A big reason for that has been former first-rounder Andrew Fischer.
After being a standout player at Tennessee during his final year of college action last season, the Milwaukee Brewers took the power-hitter 20th overall. He’s looked very good in limited professional action since, as Fischer posted a .402 OBP with a 141 wRC+ during his first 19 games at High-A.
In three games so far during the WBC, Fischer has slashed .364/.417/.818 with a 1.235 OPS. Fischer also homered against Great Britain during his first game of pool play and proceeded to get extremely fired up while rounding the bases.
Although he’s not currently ranked on our top 100, he’ll be a name to watch this season as he continues to move through the Brewers’ farm system in 2026.
Dante Nori, Italy
Although Fischer has been a big part of Italy’s success in the WBC, he’s been far from the only one propelling the team forward. It’s been a group effort from multiple exciting players, including Phillies former first-round pick Dante Nori.
Nori has been one of the tournament’s hottest hitters through his first five games. He’s slashed .438/.474/.875 with two homers and a 1.349 OPS. In fact, he’s one of only nine players in the tournament with an OPS north of 1.300 while hitting multiple home runs.
In his first full season as a professional in 2025, Nori flew through the Phillies’ system. He reached Double-A as a 20-year-old, showcasing some electric speed along the way. He went 52-62 on stolen base attempts, joining an exclusive group of just 22 players to steal 52 or more bases.
Nori will likely head back to Double-A to open the 2026 campaign, and with how he’s looked during the WBC, there’s a good chance he may not last long at the level.
Michael Arroyo, Columbia
Over the past few seasons, the Seattle Mariners have put together one of the best farm systems in the game. They’ve consistently shown the ability to develop both excellent hitters and pitchers with ease. Michael Arroyo, one of these successes, showed off his skills during the 2026 WBC.
Playing for Columbia, Arroyo was one of the team’s best impact bats. He reached base the most times out of anyone on the roster, slashed .308/.500/.308 with an .808 OPS. Arroyo also notched the same number of walks as strikeouts, showing off his dynamic eye.
Arroyo split last season between High-A and Double-A, slugging in both places. He notched a 139 wRC+ with a .401 OBP and 17 homers, quickly gaining traction on prospect rankings across the industry.
As Arroyo continues to be challenged while he advances through the minor leagues, he’s consistently handled each moment with grace. Still just 21 years old, he’s quietly become a very good piece of the Mariners’ farm system.
Owen Caissie, Canada
After failing to advance out of pool play in 2023, Canada entered this year’s World Baseball Classic looking for vengeance. This time, they made it out of a tough pool A, and Marlins prospect Owen Caissie was one of their best offensive weapons.
Caissie slugged a towering shot against Columbia in an 8-2 victory to open pool play, immediately helping Canada make a statement early. Across five games during this tournament, Caissie drove in five runs, slashed .412/.476/.765 with a 1.241 OPS. In fact, Caissie was one of only 23 players to post an OPS above 1.240 during the tournament.
Recently traded to the Miami Marlins in the Edward Cabrera deal this winter, Caissie has a chance to earn significant major-league action for the first time in his career. According to RosterResource, he’s currently slated to win the Marlins’ starting left fielder job.
With Caissie potentially in a position to have a huge impact on the Marlins this season, his performance against some tough competition in the WBC is a huge confidence inducer for the regular season.
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Written by
Jay Staph, a huge baseball fan and stat nerd, founded and ran his own baseball writing website, BSBWrites, at just 16-years-old. With focal points around prospects,…