Who To Watch In The WBC: Brice Turang Sparks U.S., Vladimir Guerrero Powers Dominican Republic

The U.S. has played with fire throughout the World Baseball Classic. Now, it faces a Dominican Republic team with the hottest offense on the planet.

But the Americans have their extinguisher ready in the form of Paul Skenes. The 23-year-old right-hander is arguably the best pitcher in world and will have to be at his Cy Young best in order to give his U.S. teammates a chance against Dominican Republic right-hander Luis Severino.

The first semifinal of the WBC is a showdown of the two best rosters in the tournament, with the Dominicans performing at their peak throughout the event. Whichever team wins advances to Tuesday's championship game.

Here are some players to keep an eye on today:

Brice Turang, U.S.

It is not a stretch to say that the 26-year-old Milwaukee Brewers second baseman has been the best position player for the Americans thus far. Turang has started four of the five WBC games and leads the regulars with a .467 (7-for-15) average and is tied for third with Aaron Judge with five RBIs. He also has two of Team USA's six stolen bases. Turang has a rather low profile when compared with his star-studded teammates, but he is one of the big reasons the U.S. is where it is. Turang went 3-for-6 with four RBIs in the opening 15-5 win over Brazil, with his bases-loaded double in the fifth inning turning a 4-1 lead into a 7-1 cushion. He then went 2-for-3 with a walk in the 5-3 quarterfinal win over Canada, including an RBI single in the sixth to make it 4-0.

Matthew Boyd, U.S.

While the Chicago Cubs' left-hander hasn't started in the WBC, he did come on in relief in the first game Paul Skenes started in the WBC. That lines the 35-year-old up to pitch in today's semifinal. Boyd came on in the sixth inning vs. Mexico and went 2⅓ innings, giving up all three runs Mexico would score. In his first inning, he surrendered a one-out solo homer to Jarren Duran, then three straight two-out singles with Joey Meneses driving in the second run to trim the U.S. lead to 5-2. After a perfect seventh inning, Duran once again tagged Boyd, this time for a leadoff homer to make it 5-3. Boyd finished with three strikeouts and a hit batter with no walks. A relief outing is always tough for a starting pitcher, regardless of the situation.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Dominican Republic

While he came close to bringing the Toronto Blue Jays their first World Series championship in more than three decades, the five-time All-Star is hoping to finish the job with the Dominican Republic in the WBC. Guerrero leads the regulars with a .500 (7-for-14) average and is second on the team with eight RBIs (Fernando Tatis Jr. has 11). Guerrero is one of six Dominicans with a pair of homers, while scoring five times and walking twice. He has helped the Dominican Republic offense dominate this tournament with a .312/.453/.637 slash line, each one the best mark in the WBC. The Dominicans are averaging 10.2 runs per game.

Carlos Estevez, Dominican Republic

Not that the Dominicans have needed a closer, with two games ending by the mercy rule and allowing just 10 runs in five games, so the 33-year-old Kansas City Royals right-hander has had just one appearance thus far in the WBC. That came in a 10-1 win over Israel, where he allowed a hit and a walk while striking out one in a scoreless inning. The stakes will be much higher if and when he is called upon to face the U.S. lineup. Estevez was the surprising MLB leader in saves in 2025 with 42, his first season with the Royals.