ORLANDO, Fla. -- Brice Turang will man second base for Team USA in next spring’s World Baseball Classic, the latest quantum leap for a 26-year-old on the ascent who has become critical to the Brewers’ hopes of remaining atop the NL Central next season.
Turang doesn’t yet possess the superstar status of some of the Americans’ other commitments so far, which include AL MVP Aaron Judge and NL Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes. But he was the 97-win Brewers’ club MVP last season and was high on Team USA’s wish list because of his all-around game, including the stellar defense that made him the 2024 NL Platinum Glove Award winner and, in 2025, a major boost in offensive production.
“It’s Team USA, so we’ve got every player in the United States available to us, but we didn’t necessarily need a team full of superstars,” said Team USA general manager Michael Hill. “We needed a team of good players who could fit together, who could play defense, who could steal a bag when we needed a bag. We are looking to build as complete a roster as we can.”
Turang has history in international baseball, part of multiple medal-winning Team USA squads as a teenager. He last wore the red, white and blue for the 18U team in 2017 before he was selected 21st overall by the Brewers in the 2018 Draft.
“That was some of the best times that I’ve ever had playing baseball,” Turang said. “I was looking forward to seeing who the team was [for the 2026 tournament], and when I find out it’s me, I was like, ‘Oh, man, I’m excited.’”
He earned his way into consideration by taking big steps forward in each of the two seasons since his 2023 Major League debut, including the “quantum leap” last season that manager Pat Murphy had long predicted. Turang more than doubled his home run count from seven in 2024 to 18 in 2025 while adding 129 points to his OPS.
Most of that damage came after the All-Star break, when Turang hit .308/.380/.536 with 12 of his 18 homers. It was a timely surge for a team that ranked third in the Majors in runs scored (806) while ranking 22nd in home runs (166). As Milwaukee considers ways to add power for next season, one avenue is continued development for budding players like Turang.
“Watching his second half, he kind of exploded from a power standpoint,” said Team USA manager Mark DeRosa. “But more than the power, it’s more just the confidence standpoint that he plays with, the ability to do everything on the field. He’s a Platinum Glove winner. He can steal a bag. Talking to him, it just seems like he wants the moment.”
Said Murphy: “He's a ballplayer. You can see it. You can smell it. The best is yet to come for him. He's got so much to give.”
DeRosa indicated he preferred an experienced second baseman on the roster, rather than getting commitments from a slew of star shortstops and moving them around. Already, Team USA has commitments from shortstops Bobby Witt Jr. and Gunnar Henderson.
“I just feel like I’m going to sleep good at night knowing he’s at second base turning double plays,” DeRosa said. “You want to be thoughtful on the roster construction because this has become too important for us to not look at this every way possible.”
Team USA begins Pool B play at 8 p.m. ET on March 6, when it will face Brazil at Houston’s Daikin Park.
“Sometimes it doesn’t feel real,” Turang said. “I still get those moments, even playing every day with my team. Like, ‘Man, this is just so awesome. It’s so cool that I’ve gotten to experience all of this stuff.’”
Other WBC possibilities: Contreras, Chourio, Frelick, Peralta … and Durbin?
Team Venezuela manager Omar López said he spoke to Brewers catcher William Contreras within the past two weeks about his desire to play in the tournament despite the fact Contreras is coming off surgery on the middle finger of his catching hand.
Contreras has resumed workouts “and he’s doing good,” López said. But Contreras would have to gain medical approval before formally gaining clearance to play for his country in the tournament, and that could be a sticking point. The Brewers and other organizations can have a say in the case of players coming off injuries.
But given Contreras’ rise to two-time All-Star and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner, it’s easy to see why his home country would want him.
“Passion, leadership, he plays hard and aggressive, his preparation,” said López, who is the Astros’ bench coach. “I was able to see all of that when we played against Milwaukee. His leadership behind the plate, knowing the pitchers, his preparation, that’s what we’re looking for here.”
Given Contreras’ timeline coming off surgery, a more likely Brewers candidate for Team Venezuela may be outfielder Jackson Chourio.
“I can’t tell you if he’s part of our team, but it’s in the mix to be on our roster,” López said.
The Brewers anticipate fellow outfielder Sal Frelick playing for Team Italy, like he did as a prospect the last time the World Baseball Classic was held in 2023. Right-hander Freddy Peralta, meanwhile, is a question mark for the Dominican Republic, whose GM, Nelson Cruz, said the matter was still under discussion.
Cruz, the former outfielder who made his Major League debut with the Brewers in 2005, was going into a contract year when he played for the Dominican team that won the World Baseball Classic in 2013, just as Peralta will be in a contract year going into 2026.
While all of those names were expected to be in the mix, Murphy mentioned one unexpected possibility in third baseman Caleb Durbin. Team Great Britain has expressed some interest in having Durbin, according to Murphy.