The biggest X-factors at this year's World Baseball Classic

The 2023 World Baseball Classic was an exhilarating tournament that thrilled us from start to finish. There’s a chance that the ‘26 version is every bit as good.

When WBC rosters were unveiled earlier this month, it was abundantly clear just how much talent will take the field in this year’s tournament.

With this in mind, here’s a look at eight X-factors who could shape the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

Logan Webb, RHP, USA

To be perfectly blunt, Team USA’s roster is certifiably loaded. Whether it’s position players such as Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh and Bobby Witt Jr. or pitchers like Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes, the U.S. roster has remarkable star power. But in a tournament with other star-studded rosters, Team USA will need plenty of players to pull their weight.

We’ll focus on the rotation and highlight Webb, one of baseball’s most durable frontline starters and one heck of a No. 3 starter behind Skubal and Skenes. Webb is baseball’s premier innings eater but that undersells the fact that he’s also one of baseball’s top all-around starters. And the Giants right-hander leveled up in 2025 with a career year, where he struck out an NL-leading 224 batters. Even with pitch limits in the WBC, Webb has a chance to make an outsized impact in the tourney.

Sandy Alcantara, RHP, Dominican Republic

We know that the Dominican Republic is going to mash. The biggest question surrounding their roster is which starting pitcher will step up in the tournament behind the Phillies’ Cristopher Sánchez, who finished second in NL Cy Young Award voting in 2025. Between Alcantara, Brayan Bello and Luis Severino, there are plenty of proven MLB starters -- but Alcantara has flashed the biggest upside.

Alcantara returned from Tommy John surgery with mixed results last season (5.36 ERA and 4.64 expected ERA in 174 2/3 innings), but the 2022 NL Cy Young Award winner was much better down the stretch, posting a 3.33 ERA in the second half. The 30-year-old Alcantara is now further removed from his surgery and if his second half was any indication, he could be a key factor for the Dominican Republic in this tournament.

Hiromi Itoh, RHP, Japan

Team Japan emerged victorious with a thrilling win in the 2023 final and looks to be every bit as good in this tournament. While Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are the headliners on Japan’s roster, there’s plenty of other talent, including a record nine MLB players. Of all the talented players, Itoh might be the least known to MLB fans.

The 28-year-old Itoh has been one of Nippon Professional Baseball’s most dominant pitchers this decade and just won the Sawamura Award -- Japan’s version of the Cy Young Award -- last season with a 2.52 ERA and 195 strikeouts in 196 2/3 innings. With Ohtani only hitting this tournament, Japan will need someone beyond Yamamoto to make some big starts. That could include Yusei Kikuchi, Tomoyuki Sugano and Itoh.

Jackson Chourio, OF, Venezuela

It’d be a stretch to call Team Venezuela an underdog -- just take a look at that roster -- but they’re not widely viewed as a favorite in the tournament. But any roster that features names like Ronald Acuña Jr., Ranger Suárez and the Contreras brothers has a chance to take it the distance. To get there, though, Venezuela will need someone to have a huge performance.

That could come from Chourio, who doesn’t turn 22 until next month and has already compiled 6.9 WAR (per FanGraphs), 42 home runs and 43 stolen bases through his first two MLB seasons. Chourio could be primed for an even bigger 2026 season and we’ve already seen him shine on the biggest stage, like when he homered twice in his second career playoff game in 2024 and when he crushed a 101.4 mph fastball for a home run in last year’s NLDS.

Randy Arozarena, OF, Mexico

Arozarena has always had a flair for the dramatic -- you might remember his historic 2020 postseason run and when he shined in the ‘23 WBC -- so there could be heroics in store for him this year. Part of that probably stems from the fact that he’s been as steady as they come this decade. Arozarena has reached the 20-20 mark in five consecutive seasons and posted a WAR between 2 and 3.9 in each of those years.

Mexico’s roster might be a tick below the other teams this year, but there’s enough talent there (Arozarena, Alejandro Kirk, Jarren Duran and Andrés Muñoz are some key players) to make a deep run. If Arozarena goes on one of his vintage home run sprees, Mexico might find itself making serious noise.

Seth Lugo, RHP, Puerto Rico

Without Francisco Lindor and Carlos Correa on Puerto Rico’s roster, this group will need someone to step up in a big way. Perhaps that could be Lugo, who is the only proven MLB starting pitcher for Puerto Rico. The veteran right-hander owns a career 3.49 ERA in just under 1,000 innings, making Lugo the best bet to have a few big starts and get Puerto Rico further in the tournament. Even with those pitch restrictions, Lugo’s impact could be felt if he’s able to piece together a pair of strong starts lasting five-plus innings.

Aaron Nola, RHP, Italy

Yes, the veteran Phillies right-hander is the ace for a Team Italy roster that might be better than you realized. Italy’s group of hitters -- including players like Vinnie Pasquantino, Dominic Canzone, Kyle Teel and Jac Caglianone -- gives them a real shot at competing, but one of the pitchers will have to dazzle for this all to work. While Nola is coming off the worst season of his career (6.01 ERA in 94 1/3 innings), he’s fully expecting a bounceback season, which could begin during his time in the WBC.

Tyler O’Neill, OF, Canada

When healthy -- like he was when he slugged 31 home runs with an .847 OPS in 113 games for the Red Sox in 2024 -- O’Neill can be a true difference maker. Injuries have unfortunately been a big part of O’Neill’s career, which was the case when he was limited to just 54 games (.684 OPS) with the Orioles last season. In multiple senses, O’Neill is a key X-factor for both Team Canada and for the Orioles.