A key player for each of the 20 World Baseball Classic teams

The battle to crown the world's greatest baseball team begins in just two weeks. Twenty teams from around the world will begin play on March 4 U.S. time -- Australia and Chinese Taipei get the honors starting at 10 p.m. ET -- all hoping to unseat three-time champion Japan and bring the World Baseball Classic trophy home.

Before it begins, I wanted to look at the key player for each team. This is not necessarily their best player -- after all, what more can we say about Shohei Ohtani? You know he's incredible, you know he can do things that no other human on Earth can. Instead, I want to highlight the player whose name you should get used to hearing and who could be the difference between success and failure.

We'll go pool by pool in alphabetical order.

Pool A - San Juan

Canada - Owen Caissie

Acquired by the Marlins from the Cubs this winter, Caissie's breakout could come in the Classic before he takes over right field for the Marlins. (Oddly enough, he’ll also play with fellow Team Canada member Otto Lopez before they suit up together in Miami.)

In the 2023 tournament, Caissie went 3-for-13 with a home run and four RBIs – impressive numbers for a then-21-year-old. Now, the No. 42 prospect in the game has some big league experience under his belt and has started tapping into his massive power. Canada has its deepest roster yet and has hopes for a deep run. If Caissie plays up to his ceiling, they might do it.

Colombia - Michael Arroyo

The Mariners' No. 5 prospect has already taken on plenty of responsibility, being thrust into the leadoff spot by manager Jose Mosquera at last year’s Qualifiers. If Arroyo felt any pressure, he didn’t show it. The second baseman displayed impressive patience and speed, going 3-for-10 with three walks, two stolen bases and two RBIs as Colombia swept its way back to the World Baseball Classic.

If Arroyo can lead things off in San Juan like he did in Tucson, Colombia’s middle-of-the-order hitters can feast.

Cuba - Alexei Ramirez

Yes, it’s that Alexei Ramirez, the former White Sox shortstop who hasn’t played a big league game since 2016. Ramirez actually played in the first World Baseball Classic in 2006, helping Cuba to its lone WBC finals appearance by going 6-for-16 with two doubles and two RBIs.

Twenty years later, Ramirez is back -- though he’ll be playing first base this time around. The oldest player in the Classic at 44 years old, he looked good in the Cuban National Series this past year, posting a 1.041 OPS and hitting 14 home runs. With Livan Moinelo -- the reigning MVP Award winner in the Japan's Pacific League -- leading the rotation and Yariel Rodríguez and Raidel Martinez in the bullpen, it will be up to a veteran lineup to send Cuba back to the semis.

Panama - José Caballero

Caballero may not be the fastest man in the Major Leagues -- according to Baseball Savant, his sprint speed in 2025 was tied for 143rd. However, he more than makes up for it by being one of the most skilled baserunners in the game. Despite playing in just 126 games last year, Caballero led the Majors with 49 steals and was tied for the 20th-most valuable baserunner.

With Logan Allen leading the rotation and Edmundo Sosa in the lineup, Caballero's ability to create mayhem on the basepaths could prove vital in Panama's hopes of avoiding a qualifier in the future.

Puerto Rico - Edwin Arroyo

The Reds' No. 8 prospect has a difficult task ahead of him: With captain Francisco Lindor injured and unable to play in this year's tournament, the job of starting shortstop in front of the home fans has fallen to Arroyo. He certainly has the glove for it: MLB Pipeline gives his fielding a 60, noting that he's a "smooth defender with excellent body control, showing the ability to make all the plays and throws from all angles," with the ability to "play shortstop defensively in the big leagues right now."

He looked good in Double-A last year, hitting .284 with a .345 OBP, though the power disappeared. Nolan Arenado and Heliot Ramos are expected to take on much of the offensive responsibilities, but a strong tournament from Arroyo would go a long way to helping Team Rubio get back to the finals.

Pool B - Houston

Brazil - Tiago da Silva

da Silva, a São Paulo native, has played everywhere around the world: The 40-year-old veteran has pitched in Taiwan, Italy, the affiliated Minors for the Blue Jays, Mexico, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic and is coming off an MVP Award-winning season in the Nicaraguan winter league. While he may not be Brazil's ace -- that title could belong to Seibu Lions pitcher Bo Takahashi or Rangers Minor Leaguer Daniel Missaki -- he may be their most important. He led the team in innings at the Tucson Qualifier, starting one game and pitching in relief in two others.

Brazil's goal will be to win at least one game and hope to avoid another round of Qualifiers, and da Silva -- who has also pitched for Italy in the 2009 and 2013 World Baseball Classic tournaments -- will be an important part of that.

Great Britain - Matt Koperniak

Great Britain is bringing a lot of talent to Houston. Nationals prospect Harry Ford and second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. will share captain's duties, and brothers Tristan and Brendan Beck joined the pitching staff. Hoping to top 2023's performance when an upset win against Colombia confirmed GB's spot in the 2026 tournament, Koperniak, a Cardinals outfield prospect, will prove vital.

Though he's coming off a down season in Triple-A, Koperniak -- who was born in London -- hit .309 with 20 home runs in Memphis in 2024. A bounce-back tourney could not only help out the national team, but could put him on the big league radar, too.

Italy - Jac Caglianone

Thanks in part to an improved pitching staff -- Aaron Nola now fronts a rotation featuring Samuel Aldegheri and Pirates prospect Alessandro Ercolani -- Italy has hopes of exceeding 2023's quarterfinals performance. Vinnie Pasquantino should pace the offense, but a lot could ride on the young Caglianone. After absolutely decimating Minor League pitching last year -- posting a 1.025 OPS with 20 home runs in just 66 games split between Double- and Triple-A -- Caglianone struggled with just a .157 average for the Royals.

The good news: The power is still there and plenty of batters, including certain Hall of Famer Mike Trout, have struggled to hit big league pitching in their first taste. A hot March could boost Italy and the hopes for Royals fans.

Mexico - Andrés Muñoz

Mexico was just a Munetaka Murakami walk-off double away from reaching the finals in 2023. Could having Muñoz, who is arguably the best reliever in this year's tournament, be the difference this time around? (You can argue amongst yourselves whether that title belongs to Muñoz, coming off a 38 save, 1.73 ERA season, or Puerto Rico's Edwin Díaz.)

With a roster that is both deep and talented all over the field -- Alejandro Kirk, Jonathan Aranda and Randy Arozarena lead the lineup and Javier Assad and Taijuan Walker front the rotation -- Muñoz's role as the bullpen stopper could prove vital. That's especially true in Houston, where the nation will wrap up the group stage against Italy, which has two ninth-inning comeback victories against Mexico in the 2013 and '17 Classics, respectively.

United States - Bobby Witt Jr.

Last time around, Witt was just 23 years old and barely saw the field, receiving just two at-bats during America's second-place finish. Three years later and with back-to-back All-Star Game, Silver Slugger and Gold Glove Award honors to his name, Witt could be the most important player on an absolutely stacked Team USA.

Witt had a +20 Fielding Run Value last year, the highest total for any infielder and a skill that the new-look USA pitching staff will surely value. His blend of power, average and speed will also make him an invaluable table setter ahead of sluggers like Aaron Judge and Kyle Schwarber.

Pool C - Tokyo

Australia - Lachlan Wells

No. 1 overall Draft pick Travis Bazzana making his World Baseball Classic debut is likely the top story for Australia, but it may be Australia's pitching staff that determines how far they go. Manager Dave Nilsson strictly limited his pitchers to one trip through the lineup -- and watched as Mitch Neunborn inked a Minor League deal soon after the tournament ended.

Now, Wells is back after representing the nation at the 2017 World Baseball Classic. He signed with the KBO's LG Twins after an impressive four-start stint for the Kiwoom Heroes (3.15 ERA in 20 innings) last season. Will the added familiarity with Korea's hitters help when facing their national team? And as we've seen from pitchers Merrill Kelly and Cody Ponce, who returned to the Majors with a new wrinkle in their arsenals after playing in Korea, could Wells have something new up his sleeve, too?

Chinese Taipei - Jo-Hsi Hsu

One of the best arms while in the Chinese Professional Baseball League, Hsu impressed with an upper-90s fastball and darting slider in the Taipei Qualifier last spring, striking out five batters in 3 2/3 innings. That drew plenty of interest from Major League teams, but Hsu chose to sign with Nippon Professional Baseball's SoftBank Hawks instead.

Now, with a 2024 Premier12 title to defend, Chinese Taipei will look to advance out of the group stage for only the second time in tournament history. The staff will be led by D-backs prospect Yu-Min Lin, who earned the victory in the Premier12 championship, and MLB prospects Wei-En Lin and Po-Yu Chen, but Hsu may have the best pure stuff out of any of them.

Czechia - Jan Novak

When the Czechs made their World Baseball Classic debut in 2023, they were nearly at full strength -- except that Novak, a former Orioles prospect, wasn't fully healthy. He tossed just one inning in the tournament, a number that will likely be surpassed many times over this time around. Novak has represented the team since the 2012 Qualifiers and proved how important he is at the 2025 European Baseball Championship, tossing 7 1/3 shutout innings while striking out nine and giving up just three hits en route to Czechia's first medal in Euros history.

Manager Pavel Chadim has admitted that he took a lot of inspiration from Dave Nilsson's managing of his pitching staff in 2023, so don't be surprised to see Novak, Daniel Padýšak, firefighter Martin Schneider, and Ondřej Satoria -- who K'd Ohtani last time out -- mixed and matched in a variety of starting and relief roles.

Beyond his pitching, Novak is responsible for some of Czechia's recent unis: He designed the specialty togs that the Czechs wore during their Spring Training trip to the United States and for the K-Baseball Series games this past November in Korea.

Japan - Kensuke Kondoh

He may not have worldwide fame and a World Series ring like Shohei Ohtani or Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and he hasn't signed a new big league contract like Munetaka Murakami or Kazuma Okamoto, but Kondoh proved vital in Japan's 2023 tournament. He nearly matched Ohtani in everything except power that year, finishing with nine hits -- tied for second-best on the team -- eight walks (also second) and four doubles (tied for Ohtani with most on the team).

Undersized by MLB standards at 5-foot-8 and 190 lbs, Kondoh has a career .307/.417/.456 slash line in the NPB. He gives solid at-bats no matter the situation and helps lengthen Japan's impressive lineup.

Korea - Hyun-Min Ahn

While MLBers Jung Hoo Lee, Hyeseong Kim, and former big leaguer and two-time Cy Young Award finalist Hyun Jin Ryu may be the biggest names on Korea's roster, Ahn is likely the biggest member of the team. By that, I'm referring to his impressive physique, which has earned him comparisons to Mike Trout and the nickname "Muscle Man." Just 22 years old, Ahn has locked down the right field spot after slashing .334/.448/.570 with 22 home runs in just 482 plate appearances last season in KBO play.

Pool D - Miami

Dominican Republic - Brayan Bello

The D.R. -- much like the USA -- has a lineup that would make the 1927 Murderers' Row Yankees sit up and take notice. This time -- also like the U.S. -- the Dominican Republic has the pitching to match with Cristopher Sánchez and Sandy Alcantara fronting the rotation. How far they go could be up to Bello, though. The Red Sox starter had his best big league season last year, posting a 3.35 ERA in a career-high 166 2/3 IP.

The question will be if he can rack up enough whiffs, after his 6.7 K/9 ratio ranked 45th out of 52 qualified starting pitchers last year. There's reason to be optimistic, though: Before a September swoon, Bello posted sub-3.00 ERAs every month from June through August.

Israel - Cole Carrigg

On a roster led by MLB players like starter Dean Kremer and center fielder Harrison Bader, it's the Rockies' No. 3 prospect who could prove vital. A true Swiss Army Knife, Carrigg is a "super-high energy player" who can play at shortstop or across the outfield. He brings power and speed -- smashing 15 home runs and stealing 46 bases for Double-A Hartford last year -- and his ability to switch-hit can neutralize the opposition's bullpen plans.

Israel will be looking to match 2017's Cinderella run and Carrigg should be in the middle of it.

Netherlands - Antwone Kelly

The Netherlands are leaning on plenty of veteran talent at this year's Classic, with starter Shairon Martis (a veteran of the 2006 tournament), closer Kenley Jansen and shortstop -- and 2025 European Baseball Championship MVP -- Didi Gregorius returning to represent the Kingdom. One new face: 22-year-old Oranjestad, Aruba, native Antwone Kelly. Kelly cut his walks, upped his strikeouts and posted a 3.02 ERA while reaching Double-A in the Pirates' system last year. Able to reach triple digits, he could prove important whether manager Andruw Jones plans on using him out of the rotation or as a high-leverage, high-velocity relief arm.

Nicaragua - Ronald Medrano

Medrano was last seen being helped off the field after getting hurt during the Caribbean Series. However, he told Nicaraguan baseball reporter Fernando Rayo that he expects to still play for Nicaragua at next month's tournament. His presence will be crucial: Rayo told MLB.com that Medrano, a former Cardinals prospect, has improved as a player over the years out of the affiliated Minors.

While the additions of Ismael Munguia and Mark Vientos certainly make Nicaragua's lineup more potent, this is still a team whose success will come down to its ability to keep runs off the board as they did in the Taipei Qualiifer. They'll need Medrano's changeup -- which he used to great effect last March, when he struck out eight batters in five innings.

Venezuela - Ranger Suárez

With Tuesday's report that Twins starter Pablo López has a torn UCL and will likely need Tommy John surgery, Suárez's role is all the more important. The lineup will score plenty of runs with captain Salvador Perez, Ronald Acuña Jr., and Jackson Chourio offering one of the most fearsome hearts of the order, so it will be up to the pitching to get Venezuela back to the semifinals for the first time since 2009.

Suárez has posted a sub-4.00 ERA in three of the past four seasons, with batters hitting .203 or worse against his changeup, curve and slider last season.