Full List of Pirates Competing in World Baseball Classic
The 2026 World Baseball Classic will be held from March 5-17 with teams from 20 countries trying to win the tournament.
It’s the first World Baseball Classic since 2023, when Japan knocked of the defending-champion United States to take home the trophy.
Rosters have been finalized and 15 members from the Pittsburgh Pirates organization representing 10 countries will compete in the tournament.
RHP Emannuel Chapman (Cuba)
Chapman spent last season with Double-A Altoona and went 7-2 with a 3.72 ERA in 32 appearances/five starts. In 72.2 innings, the right-hander allowed 56 hits, walked 41 and struck out 72.
RHP Po-Yu Chen (Chinese Taipei)
Chen began the season with Altoona and went 4-11 with a 5.73 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 99 innings across 26 appearances/23 starts. He also made three starts with Triple-A Indianapolis and allowed just one run in 13.2 innings.
OF Oneil Cruz, RHP Dennis Santana, LHP Gregory Soto (Dominican Republic)
Cruz will represent his home country after leading the National League with 38 stolen bases and slugging a team-high 20 home runs for the Pirates last season.
Santana’s career resurgence ever since coming to Pittsburgh was rewarded with a roster spot alongside Cruz. Santana had a 2.18 ERA and a career-high 16 saves in 70 appearances out of the bullpen last season.
Soto joined the Pirates on a one-year deal as a free agent this offseason after splitting last year between the Baltimore Orioles and New York Mets. In 70 appearances, he posted a 4.15 ERA and punched out 70 batters in 60.1 innings.
RHP Alessandro Ercolani, LHP Joe La Sorsa RHP Kyle Nicolas (Italy)
Ercolani, who was born in San Marino, will be one of three Pirates pitchers representing team Italy. The right-hander made 25 appearances/21 starts for Altoona last season and had a 4.04 ERA.
La Sorsa joined the Pirates as a non-roster invitee this winter. He made five relief appearances with the Reds last season.
Nicolas spent time in Triple-A and the big leagues last year. While with Pittsburgh, he went 1-2 with a 4.74 ERA and 34 strikeouts in 38 innings.
INF Nick Gonzales, RHP José Urquidy (Mexico)
Gonzales totaled a career-high 96 games for the Pirates last season and hit .260 with a .661 OPS, 18 doubles, three triples, five home runs and 30 RBI.
Urquidy recently joined the Pirates on a one-year deal. The six-year veteran returned to a big-league mound for the first time since 2023 and made a pair of appearances with the Detroit Tigers.
INF Spencer Horwitz (Israel)
Horwitz will again suit up for team Israel as he did in 2023. Horwitz was the Pittsburgh’s top hitter in 2025 — his first season with the team — and finished the year with a .272/.353/.434 batting line with 26 doubles, 11 home runs and 51 RBI.
RHP Antwone Kelly (Netherlands)
Kelly is considered one of the Pirates top 30 prospects after combining to go 3-3 with a 3.02 ERA and 116 strikeouts in 107.1 innings between High-A Greensboro and Altoona last season.
LHP Oddanier Mosqueda (Venezuela)
Mosqueda is another non-roster invitee to spring training this year. The left-hander spent the 2025 season with Triple-A Memphis (St. Louis Cardinals) and went 5-5 with a 4.52 ERA and a pair of saves in 55 appearances.
RHP Paul Skenes (United States)
One of the top players in the league, Skenes will represent the United States after winning the National League Cy Young in 2025. He ended his second big-league season at 10-10 with an MLB-leading 1.97 ERA and 216 strikeouts.
RHP Pietro Albanez (Brazil)
Albanez is one of the youngest players competing in this year’s WBC after signing with the Pirates as an amateur free agent.
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