Kiley McDanielFeb 26, 2026, 07:00 AM ETCloseESPN MLB Insider Kiley McDaniel covers MLB prospects, the MLB Draft and more, including trades and free agency. Has worked for three MLB teams. Co-author of Author of ‘Future Value’ Follow on XMultiple Authors
Travis Bazzana, 2B, Australia (Cleveland Guardians)
Harry Ford, C, Great Britain (Washington Nationals)
The 2026 World Baseball Classic is loaded with household names, but the event also provides a unique opportunity to get a glimpse at some of Major League Baseball’s stars of tomorrow.
One of the most intriguing is Joseph Contreras, the 35th-ranked prospect in the 2026 MLB draft, a prep right-hander in Georgia and the son of former big league righty Jose Contreras. Jose is best known for his time with the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox. Jose was born in Cuba, but Joseph’s mother, Isabel, was born in Brazil.
That’s why Joseph is pitching for the Brazilian team in the WBC, an incredibly rare situation for a top high school pitching prospect.
On top of that, Brazil plays the United States in pool play on March 6, so Joseph has a chance to face some of the best hitters on Earth. For scouts, getting to see him in that kind of setting is helpful, but for evaluators, getting Statcast data of his pitches while throwing a major league ball in a major league stadium months before the draft is also key.
Here are five more prospects, some of whom have major league experience, worth watching closely in the WBC, plus others of note from teams across the tournament.
Why he’s worth watching: McLean has dynamic stuff as he showed in a big league audition last season. The main question is whether he can keep performing at that level and become a front-line starter.
What we can learn from his WBC performance: Seeing McLean in high-pressure situations against elite hitters before the regular season starts can give us a glimpse of the development path he might be headed down.
Why he’s worth watching: The former first overall pick is knocking on the door of the big leagues and has a plus in-game power and patience combo.
What we can learn from his WBC performance: I’m on the bullish side with Arroyo and think he’s just a quirky-looking performer who will get it done. Still, just 56 games above A-ball are not enough for me to know that’s the case.
Why he’s worth watching: The headliner of this winter’s Edward Cabrera deal made the top 100 list because of his absurd left-handed raw power, above-average speed and above-average arm. He’s not higher because his bat-to-ball ability is a real question.
What we can learn from his WBC performance: Seeing him face some big-league-caliber arms before spring training gets into high gear will let us know if Caissie might have a path to grabbing an every-day job in the first half of this season.
Why he’s worth watching: The headline return from Seattle in the Jose Ferrer deal this winter might break camp with Washington as its starting catcher, fueled by above-average on-base skills and raw power.
Great Britain: B.J. Murray (Cubs), Matt Koperniak (Cardinals), Kristian Robinson (Diamondbacks), Ian Lewis (Marlins)
Israel: Cole Carrigg (Rockies), Jake Gelof (Dodgers), Zach Levenson (Cardinals), R.J. Schreck (Blue Jays)
Italy: Sam Antonacci (White Sox), Andrew Fischer (Brewers), Nick Morabito (Mets), Dante Nori (Phillies)
As you’d guess, most of the top teams have big leaguers filling out their lineups and bench, so this group is mostly from the teams not expected to make it into the final few rounds. Bernal made the back of the top 100, Bradfield and Fischer made the Nos. 101-200 list, and Antonacci, Lee and Nori just missed. Schreck and Long are nice sleepers to keep an eye on for possible big league impact in 2026.
Great Britain: Gary Gill Hill (Rays), Owen Wild (Rays), Brendan Beck (Yankees), Najer Victor (Angels)
Again, prospects are filling out the rosters of these good-but-not-great teams. Gastelum is a great sleeper because his plus-plus changeup, early-spring buzz and his team help give him a path to big league saves in the second half of this season. Lin is another big riser during the winter rankings process who could be in the A’s rotation as soon as September. Kelly is on the starter/reliever spectrum and could debut in the second half, as well.
Japan: IF Shugo Maki, OF Shota Morishita, RHP Hiroto Takahashi, LHP Hiroya Miyagi, RHP Atsuki Taneichi, RHP Taisei Ota
I scouted Contreras a few weeks ago as his preseason outings were creating late-first-round buzz — and rightfully so. He opened the game sitting at 94-98 mph and hitting 99, mixing his signature combo of a changeup and splitter. For me, the splitter is better and is a 65-grade pitch. Contreras checks the boxes for a seven-figure prep righty: he has a clean arm stroke, projection in his 6-foot-5 frame, and the delivery and athleticism components to project starter traits. His fastball shape is just OK, due in large part to his short stride to the plate (some teams really target big extension in young pitchers for this reason), and his command still comes and goes, as you’d expect from a young fireballer.
Kiley McDanielFeb 26, 2026, 07:00 AM ETCloseESPN MLB Insider Kiley McDaniel covers MLB prospects, the MLB Draft and more, including trades and free agency. Has worked for three MLB teams. Co-author of Author of ‘Future Value’ Follow on XMultiple Authors
CloseESPN MLB Insider Kiley McDaniel covers MLB prospects, the MLB Draft and more, including trades and free agency. Has worked for three MLB teams. Co-author of Author of ‘Future Value’ Follow on X
Panama: Leonardo Bernal (Cardinals), Enrique Bradfield Jr. (Orioles)
Canada: Adam Macko (Blue Jays), Matt Wilkinson (Guardians), Antoine Jean (Rockies)
Israel: Harrison Cohen (Yankees), Daniel Federman (Orioles)
Italy: Sam Aldegheri (Angels), Dylan DeLucia (Guardians)
Taiwan: Wei-En Lin (A’s), Po-Yu Chen (Pirates), Chen Zhong-Ao Zhuang (A’s)
Korea: 3B Do Yeong Kim, OF Hyun Min Ahn, SS Ju Won Kim, 3B Si Hwan Roh
The industry is still split on Contreras to a degree, depending on if an evaluator falls in love with the positives — great frame/arm action/athleticism combination, standout arm speed, a knockout off-speed pitch, and big league family history — or focuses on the negatives — a lack of extension, mediocre fastball shape, command that requires projection, a breaking ball that will likely be his third-best offering even with work — and opts to turn to a safer profile for a top pick. Contreras’ look in the WBC (and the data he generates) could help unmuddy this picture a bit.
Travis Bazzana belts a 3-run homer for Guardians (0:34)Travis Bazzana crushes a three-run home run in the second inning to give the Guardians a 3-2 lead. (0:34)