The 2026 WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC is seeing heated battles every day. The one-off tournament finally begins on the 14th (Japan time). This time, we'll be looking at players to watch out for from the four major teams that could face Samurai Japan in the quarterfinals and finals - Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and the United States. We'll also be introducing players from Pacific League who have similar styles, so we hope you'll find this information useful as you watch the game. All data is sourced from Baseball Savant, the official major league data site.

Venezuela's hit machine can hit any ball

For example, in Pacific League... Ryoma Nishikawa (Orix Buffaloes)

First, let's take a look at Venezuela's Luis Arraez. He has been the batting hitter for three consecutive years since 2022, and possesses outstanding bat control, with a contact rate (the percentage of swings that resulted in the bat hitting the ball) of 94.7% last season. The average batting average in the ball zone in the majors is around .150, but Arraez has posted an astonishing batting average of .307 over the three years since 2023. His batting style, which allows him to hit any ball without swinging, is likely to give Samurai Japan's pitcher a hard time.

Also selected for the Venezuelan national team is pitcher Andrés Machado (Orix Buffaloes). Since coming to Japan, he has recorded a total of 51 saves in the two seasons, and is trusted by The Buffaloes fans. This time, he may be a formidable opponent for the Samurai batting line-up.

The perfect slugger from the Dominican Republic

パ・リーグで例えると…盗塁もできる近藤健介選手（福岡ソフトバンク）

　強打のドミニカ共和国打線をけん引するのがフアン・ソト選手だ。2年連続40本塁打のパワーを持ちながら、ボール球に手を出さない選球眼も兼ね備え、近年は長打力でも出塁能力でもトップクラスの評価を得ている。足はそれほど速くないものの、走塁技術を磨いた昨季は38盗塁をマークしており、相手バッテリー視点では勝負を避けるという選択も難しい。

　対策としては、高低をうまく使うことがカギとなるだろう。直近3シーズンのデータでは、低めへの投球には打率.203、長打率.346と苦戦している。侍ジャパンにはフォークなどの落ちる球を武器とする投手が多いだけに、低めを丁寧に攻めていきたいところだ。

Mexico's proud right-handed pitcher killer

For example, in Pacific League there is Tyler Nevin (Saitama Seibu Lions), who became left-handed hitter.

Mexico, who fought a fierce battle with Samurai Japan in the semi-finals of the last tournament, will be keeping an eye on Jonathan Aranda. Last season, his batting average of .329 against right-handed pitcher is a good result, on par with the best hitter Judge and last season's American League Rookie of the Year, Kurtz. In matches against Samurai Japan, which is full of strong right-handed pitchers, there is a very good chance that Aranda will be in starting line-up. On the other hand, his batting average against left-handed pitcher is only .274, and his slugging percentage is .345, so they will want to closer by using left-handed pitcher such as Hiroya Miyagi and Kikuchi pitcher.

Also selected for Mexico's national team is Fukuoka Softbank 's left-handed pitcher, Alexander Armenta. In a training game against Samurai Japan on February 23rd, he pitched well, allowing no runs in two innings and reaching a top speed of 155 km/h. Will he be able to make his presence felt on the big stage, representing his country?

The fastest right-handed relief pitcher in the majors leads the US to win

Pacific League to ... Tatsuya Imai pitcher became a relief (Saitama Seibu Lions → Astros)

Finally, the U.S. national team will introduce Mason Miller pitcher. He is a strong-armed reliever who overwhelms hitter with almost two pitches: four seam fastball (fastball), which boasts an average ball speed of 162.9 km/h and sharply changing slider. Last season, he hit 104 strike out in 61 2/3 innings, and in September, he achieved an "immaculate inning" of 3 consecutive 3 pitches struck out in slider worldwide. If the U.S. enters the final game with the lead, they will definitely rise to mound as a closer. One of the few weaknesses of such mirror pitcher is that there are relatively many BB. I want to identify the ball without rushing and make a breakthrough to comeback.

At the time of writing, the team that Samurai Japan will play against has not been confirmed. There are still many talented teams that could not be introduced this time, such as Aaron Nola pitcher of Italy, who boasts a total of 109 major wins, and Nolan Arenado of Puerto Rico, who won the Gold Glove Award for 10 consecutive years since 2013. We hope you will witness the numbing serious battle between the stars, and the moment when the samurai create a circle of joy on March 18th.

*All numbers in the text and table are as of the end of the 2025 season.

Moon/Data Stadium