Who To Watch In The WBC: Mason Miller Locks It Down For United States, Alejandro Kirk Challenges For Mexico

Sitting at 2-0 after relatively comfortable wins over Brazil and Great Britain, the U.S. faces its first real test in the World Baseball Classic as the Americans take on Mexico on Monday in Pool B. It should be a raucous atmosphere with Mexico, also 2-0, having a good deal of support playing at Daikin Park in Houston.

A loss by the U.S. could create a bit of chaos as the Americans still have to face Italy (2-0) on Tuesday to conclude pool play. The Italians, who are off Monday, then take on Mexico in the final game of Pool B.

Here are some players to keep an eye on today:

Alejandro Kirk, Mexico

One of the underrated reasons for the Toronto Blue Jays' run to the World Series last year was that the 27-year-old catcher played a bigger role for Mexico. He did go 0-for-4 in the tournament-opening 8-2 win over Great Britain. Kirk bounced back by going 2-for-3 with an early RBI double and then a big three-run homer in a 16-0 rout of Brazil. He is valuable has not only a very good defensive catcher, but a backstop who can hit. Kirk had a .282/.348/.421 slash line with 15 homers and 76 RBIs with the Jays in the regular season, then had a .308/.441/.538 in the World Series, including two of his five postseason homers.

Mason Miller, United States

The 27-year-old San Diego Padres closer wasn't particularly sharp in the Americans' first game against Brazil. That could have been because he had to wait out a seven-run top of the ninth inning. Still, Miller struck out three of the four batters he faced, walking the other. Only 11 of his 23 pitches were strikes. As the tournament picks up in intensity, Miller will be put in higher-pressure situations than protecting a 15-5 lead vs. Brazil. The back end of the bullpen is loaded, and that starts with Miller and his killer fastball-slider combination.

Brayan Bello, Dominican Republic

The Boston Red Sox right-hander is set to make his WBC debut Monday vs. Israel, hoping to run the Dominicans' record to 3-0. The 27-year-old has put up identical 4.19 FIPs in each of the last two seasons for the Red Sox, but they came with much different ERAs (4.49 in 2024 and 3.35 in 2025). He limited opponents to a .237 batting average and .669 OPS, both the best marks of his young career. He should benefit from the rotation additions the Red Sox made this season in left-hander Ranger Suarez and right-hander Sonny Gray, as Bello is likely to be slotted in as the No. 4 starter.

Salvador Perez, Venezuela

Playing in his fourth WBC, the 35-year-old Kansas City Royals catcher is Venezuela's captain. And he has shown his value in the first two games. Perez is 3-for-9, including a 2-for-4 performance in an 11-3 win over Israel. He scored once and drove in a run in that game. Perez started at designated hitter once and catcher once as he splits time behind the plate with William Contreras of the Milwaukee Brewers. Venezuela faces a Nicaragua team that has the potential to throw a scare into a team, especially as Perez and Co. await a showdown with the Dominican Republic.

Seiya Suzuki, Japan

The 31-year-old Chicago Cubs right fielder has been a key piece to a deep lineup for Japan in its first three games. Suzuki has gone 3-for-7 with a pair of walks, including a two-homer game in a crucial 8-6 win over South Korea. Hitting third in that game, Suzuki may have had the biggest hit Japan needed with his two-run homer in the first inning. That came after South Korea took a 3-0 lead at the top of the inning. He then drew a bases-loaded walk in the eighth inning that proved to be vital in a 4-3 win over Australia as the Aussies hit a pair of homers to make things interesting.