MLB fans who tuned into the World Baseball Classic were expecting big-time performances from superstars Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge and Juan Soto.
They came away learning more about Venezuela’s title-winning squad and one espresso-loving Italy slugger.
Ahead of the 2026 MLB season, some players have already boosted their profile by thriving on the worldwide stage. Here are six standouts whose stock is rising following their performances in the World Baseball Classic.
6. 2B Brice Turang, USA/Milwaukee Brewers
The 2024 National League Platinum Glove Award winner was primarily on the U.S. roster for his sensational defense at second base, but Turang provided much more than that for a star-studded team whose top sluggers failed to consistently produce at the plate.
Turang ended up being one of the most consistent hitters of the group, tying for the team lead in hits (eight), leading the team in doubles (four) and finishing second in batting average (.364) and third in OPS (.936). He also had the only hit USA mustered against Venezuela starter Eduardo Rodriguez in the final.
5. 1B Vinnie Pasquantino, Italy/Kansas City Royals
(Photo by Rob Tringali/WBCI/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
Sometimes, numbers don’t paint the full picture of a player’s impact.
Beyond Venezuela capturing its first ever WBC title, the story of the tournament was Italy. And you can’t tell that story without Pasquantino, who was the heart and soul of the most surprising team in the competition. Italy’s group full of unrelenting prospects and novice big-leaguers raved about the leadership of Pasquantino, who played a vital role in recruiting the team over the past year.
The team captain only had four hits in the WBC, but he walked seven times, played spectacular defense, finished with a .970 OPS and became the first player in tournament history to hit three home runs in a game.
4. RP Daniel Palencia, Venezuela/Chicago Cubs
(Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
Palencia was almost unhittable in the first half of a breakout 2025 season while emerging as the Cubs’ primary ninth-inning option. He started the year in Triple-A and finished it as the team leader in saves, but injury and poor performance in the second half led to Brad Keller closing games by season’s end.
After an offseason of bullpen turnover, manager Craig Counsell expressed his confidence in Palencia by naming him the Cubs’ closer right when camp opened. And in the WBC, the flamethrowing 26-year-old right-hander spent the tournament backing up the Cubs’ belief.
