World Baseball Classic Power Rankings: Quarterfinals Edition

Twenty teams began in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Only eight clubs remain.

The ‘26 WBC quarterfinals will take place in Miami and Houston on Friday and Saturday and there will be some compelling matchups. On Friday night, the Dominican Republic will face Korea (6:30 p.m. ET, FS2), while Team USA will take on Canada (8 p.m. ET, FOX). On Saturday, Italy will battle Puerto Rico (3 p.m. ET, FS1), while Japan will face Venezuela (9 p.m. ET, FOX).

With the quarterfinals set to begin, we asked 15 MLB.com voters to cast ballots, ranking the WBC teams, one through eight. Here’s how they ranked. Included for each team is where they ranked in the initial WBC power rankings (in parentheses) and a key player who starred for them in pool play.

1. Dominican Republic (3)
Pool play star: Fernando Tatis Jr. (6-for-13, 2 HR, 5 BB, 9 RBIs)
A Dominican Republic team that went a perfect 4-0 in pool play has plenty of players to choose from, whether it was Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (six hits and two home runs), Juan Soto (two home runs and five walks) or Brayan Bello (one run and seven strikeouts in five innings). Tatis, the Dominican Republic's leadoff hitter, shined brightest among a group that thoroughly dominated the competition. Tatis hit a pair of home runs, including a massive three-run homer in a pivotal game against Venezuela, and walked five times. His dynamic game was on display all over the field and he'll look to continue his dominance against Korea on Friday.

2. Japan (1)
Pool play star: DH Shohei Ohtani (5-for-9, 2 HR, 4 BB, 6 RBIs)
Who else? Despite not playing in the finale against Czechia, Ohtani made his presence known, like he tends to do on this kind of stage. Ohtani came to the plate 13 times and recorded five hits (two home runs) and four walks, all while not striking out. Even though Ohtani isn't pitching in this tournament, he's very much making his impact at the plate in each of his three games. In the first game against Chinese Taipei, Ohtani recorded three hits with a homer, a double and five RBIs. In Japan's second game against Korea, Ohtani reached base all four times and homered. In his final game against Australia, Ohtani didn't record a hit but drew a pair of walks.

3. United States (2)
Pool play star: RHP Paul Skenes (4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 7 K, 1 BB)
The United States survived a scare that nearly saw them not advance out of pool play, and it's hard to not highlight Skenes' outing as a key reason for advancing. In a pivotal 5-3 win over Mexico on Monday, Skenes tossed four scoreless innings in his WBC debut, striking out seven batters while only issuing one walk and a hit. Nothing about Skenes' performance was surprising considering what he's done his first two MLB seasons, which includes a 1.96 ERA across 55 starts, two All-Star Game selections, an NL Cy Young Award and a Rookie of the Year Award. Skenes might not be done in the WBC, either. The right-hander has already indicated that he would want to pitch again if the U.S. advances further.

4. Venezuela (4)
Pool play star: 2B Luis Arraez (7-for-14, 2 HR, 4 2B, 9 RBIs)
Arraez isn't known as a power hitter -- his 10 home runs in 2023 with the Marlins are a career high -- but that hasn't been the case in the World Baseball Classic. Arraez blitzed through pool play with hits in half of his at-bats, with six of his seven hits going for extra bases. His key performance came in an 11-3 win over Israel in Venezuela's second game, when Arraez went 4-for-5 with a pair of home runs and a pair of doubles. This was Arraez's second multi-homer game in the WBC; he did so against the U.S. in Venezuela's 9-7 loss in the 2023 quarterfinals. And, as MLB's Sarah Langs noted: Arraez is the first player with multiple multi-homer games in the WBC, a wild fact considering he's only had one multi-homer game in the Majors or Minors (all three games came in Miami).

5. Italy (12)
Pool play star: 1B Vinnie Pasquantino (3 H, 3 HR)
Italy had plenty of help on both sides of the ball as they went 4-0 in pool play, but we’ll highlight their captain and hero in the pool finale against Mexico. Pasquantino went hitless in his first three games but saved some fireworks for Mexico in the game that punched Italy’s ticket to the quarterfinals. The Royals' first baseman became the first player in WBC history to homer three times in a game, slugging a trio of solo home runs in a 9-1 win. Pasquantino is no stranger to this kind of power output, having hit a career-high 32 home runs last season.

6. Puerto Rico (6)
Pool play star: RHP Luis Quiñones (4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 7 K, 1 BB)
One of the beautiful aspects of the World Baseball Classic is it presents the opportunity for relatively unknown players to thrive. Unless you’re immersed in the world of Minor League Baseball, there’s a good chance you weren’t familiar with Quiñones before this tournament. After Quiñones retired all but one of 13 batters he faced (one walk) across two separate outings in pool play, he certainly caught the attention of fans. The right-hander struck out seven batters and did not allow a single hit. Quiñones, a longtime Blue Jays prospect, signed a Minor League deal with the Twins last offseason and is vying for a job in Minnesota’s bullpen.

7. Korea (7)
Pool play star: 1B Bo Gyeong Moon (7-for-13, 2 HR, 11 RBIs)
Moon was one of the most productive hitters in pool play, leading all hitters with 11 RBIs and tying for the lead with seven hits. Korea’s first baseman began the tournament with a multi-hit effort and a grand slam in an 11-4 rout over Czechia. Moon also bookended his tournament with a dominant showing against Australia, going 3-for-5 with a home run, double and four RBIs. Moon has blossomed into one of the best KBO hitters over the last few years, posting an OPS north of .830 and 20-plus home runs in both 2024 and ‘25 for the LG Twins.

8. Canada (8)
Pool play star: OF Owen Caissie (7-for-14, 1 HR, 3 2B)
Caissie is making yet another strong impression in the WBC after producing in the 2023 edition as well. The 23-year-old Caissie, who was the headliner in the offseason trade that sent Edward Cabrera from the Marlins to the Cubs, had seven hits in 14 at-bats, including a home run, three doubles and five RBIs in pool play. This could represent the beginning of a big season for Caissie, who figures to be featured prominently in the Marlins’ plans as a potential everyday outfielder. Perhaps, Caissie has more in store for the WBC, too, as Canada looks to upset the United States in the quarterfinals.