From Aldegheri to Zhuang, the World Baseball Classic's top performing prospects

The World Baseball Classic has been a stage for players across the world to show off their talents, and plenty of prospects have thrived in the spotlight.

Players ranked on organizational Top 30 Prospects lists have shown out, in particular.

Through Friday’s games, such players have hit a combined .272/.369/.475 with eight homers and seven stolen bases in 187 plate appearances. Pitchers, meanwhile, have a 3.05 ERA with 51 strikeouts and only 19 walks in 41 1/3 innings.

Here’s a look at some of the top performers from around the globe -- including a high school senior and a pair of sons of MLB All-Stars.

Sam Aldegheri, LHP, Italy (LAA No. 17)
The 24-year-old southpaw became the first Major League pitcher to be born and raised in Italy in 2024 and made a big statement in Italy's opening win over Brazil. Aldegheri struck out eight batters while giving up just one hit and two walks across 4 2/3 scoreless innings. He picked up 17 whiffs on 32 swings.

Michael Arroyo, DH, Colombia (SEA No. 5/MLB No. 67)
Arroyo was a sparkplug atop Colombia's lineup, leading the team in runs (four), steals (two) and times safely reaching base (nine). A second baseman by trade, Arroyo was in the lineup at DH and has the hardest-hit ball of any prospect in the World Baseball Classic, a 111 mph single off Canada's Michael Soroka.

Travis Bazzana, 2B, Australia (CLE No. 1/MLB No. 20)
The No. 1 pick in the 2024 Draft put together three hits for Australia, and he really made them count. Bazzana crushed a no-doubter solo home run and singled in the team's first game -- and came around to score on a walk in the second game. He also delivered a crucial RBI single in Australia's final game against Korea, all while providing impressive defense at the keystone.

Brendan Beck, RHP, Great Britain (NYY No. 22)
Still looking for Team Great Britain's first win, Beck produced one of the tournament's best starts on Monday. The right-hander tossed four hitless innings with four strikeouts and faced two batters over the minimum, despite a pair of walks and a hit batsman because of a strike-'em-out, throw-'em-out double play.

Enrique Bradfield Jr., OF, Panama (BAL No. 10)
Top 100 prospect Leonardo Bernal had more hits (four) for Panama, but Bradfield has the bigger signature game. The speedy center fielder picked up three hits in a 4-3 win over Canada, two of which came on bunts. He forced a throwing error on one (advancing to second base) and drove in a run on the second. Of course, he also had a pair of steals.

Owen Caissie, OF, Canada (MIA No. 3/MLB No. 42)
Caissie is known for his prodigious power and has shown it off on the international stage. The left-handed slugger notched a two-run homer (notably launching it into his country's flag in the stands) and a single in Canada’s first game and scorched an RBI double and a single -- both over 100 mph -- in the second game. Caissie notched a pair of doubles in his third game and came around to score the winning run against Puerto Rico. His 1.241 OPS ranks sixth among players in the World Baseball Classic with at least 15 at-bats.

Harrison Cohen, RHP, Israel (NYY No. 27)
Cohen made one relief appearance -- and it hardly could have gone better. He faced the minimum six batters across two frames and got five of those outs via K's. Fittingly for a Yankees reliever, all of those strikeouts came on a cutter. The first four batters all went down swinging, and he punctuated the outing by getting four-time All-Star Xander Bogaerts looking.

Joseph Contreras, RHP, Brazil (Draft No. 47)
Contreras' pitching line -- 1 1/3 innings, 2 hits, 1 run, 3 walks -- wasn't that impressive in a vacuum. But the son of All-Star Jose Contreras is also a 17-year-old high schooler who faced down the heart of Team USA's lineup. The younger Contreras, who’s Draft-eligible this summer, touched 97.8 mph with his fastball and crucially got Aaron Judge to ground into an inning-ending double play.

Andrew Fischer, 3B, Italy (MIL No. 6)
The Brewers' 2025 first-rounder -- who just missed the Top 100 -- started at the hot corner for Team Italy's second game and made an immediate impression by crushing a solo homer in his first at-bat. Fischer, who is the game's top third-base prospect, also added an RBI single and came around to score a second run an inning later. In his second game, Fischer laced a 101.7 mph RBI double, which plated Italy's ninth and final run of the game.

Harry Ford, C, Great Britain (WSH No. 3/MLB No. 71)
Ford was a star on the international stage in 2022 when his three homers helped deliver Team Great Britain to its first World Baseball Classic in ‘23, when he naturally went deep two more times. The catching prospect’s power was on display once again in ‘26. He clobbered a game-tying homer in Great Britain’s first game and reached base five times in four games.

Druw Jones, OF, Netherlands (AZ No. 16)
Andruw Jones may have led the Netherlands as their manager, but his son led the team at the plate. Druw, a 2022 first-rounder, totalled four hits, including a double, and five walks through three games while playing the strong outfield defense you'd expect from Andruw's son.

Dante Nori, OF, Italy (PHI No. 7)
Nori has been one of the best hitters at the World Baseball Classic -- prospect or otherwise -- with a a .500/.533/1.083 slash line through four games. The 2024 first-rounder went 3-for-3 with a pair of homers -- 420 and 395 feet -- and a walk in his debut before adding a pair of hard-hit singles out of the leadoff spot in Team Italy's second game. He registered a sacrifice fly against Team USA and singled and plated a run on a sacrifice bunt against Mexico.

Lucas Ramirez, OF, Brazil (Angels)
Ramirez was hitting a lot like his 12-time All-Star father, Manny, as he became the youngest player in WBC history to log a multihomer game -- against Team USA, no less. The younger Ramirez, who was wearing his dad's No. 24, took Logan Webb and Gabe Speier deep with exit velocities over 100 mph. He also showed off his arm with an outfield assist from right field against Team Italy the next day.

Eduardo Rivera, LHP, Puerto Rico (BOS No. 26)
The imposing 6-foot-7 southpaw got the start in Team Puerto Rico's second game and absolutely dominated Panama. Rivera leaned on his upper-90s fastball and scattered one hit over 4 1/3 innings with five punchouts, including striking out the side in the fourth. He was credited with one run allowed, as he hit a batter who came around to score after he exited the game.

Elmer Rodríguez, RHP, Puerto Rico (NYY No. 3/MLB No. 82)
Rodríguez, one of three 22-year-olds on Team Puerto Rico, twirled three scoreless innings during a pivotal matchup against Cuba on Monday. Facing a lineup that combined for 10 runs over its first two contests, Rodríguez allowed just one knock and racked up three strikeouts, generating five whiffs on 14 swings.

Najer Victor, RHP, Great Britain (Angels)
Victor came on in relief against Team USA and had to face a veritable Murderer's Row. He made them look more like a Little League squad. The 24-year-old struck out Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper and Gunnar Henderson (with a Will Smith walk interspersed) before striking out Roman Anthony the following inning. He did give up an unearned run as Ernie Clement reached on an error and came around to score after Victor was lifted.

Matt Wilkinson, LHP, Canada (Guardians)
Affectionately known as "Tugboat" because he ran the bases slowly as a Little Leaguer, Wilkinson ranked second in the Minors with 174 strikeouts in 2024. His swing-and-miss stuff has also been on display at the World Baseball Classic across two relief appearances. The southpaw struck out both batters he faced against Panama and then punched out Cal Raleigh and Bryce Harper in a hitless two-inning outing against Team USA.

Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang, RHP, Chinese Taipei (ATH No. 27)
Zhuang helped Chinese Taipei win its first game by blanking Czechia while striking out four over 2 2/3 innings. The right-hander allowed just one hard-hit ball (97.1 mph) and garnered nine whiffs while firing 39 of his 55 pitches for strikes.