Who To Watch In The WBC: Sandy Alcantara Arms Dominican Republic, Wilyer Abreu Sparks Venzuela

Wednesday is the final day of pool play in the World Baseball Classic—and it features the game everyone has been waiting for:

The Dominican Republic vs. Venezuela in Miami.

Both teams had the day off on Tuesday and are 3-0 in Pool D, having already punched their tickets to the quarterfinal round. They also feature some of the best rosters in the entire tournament, joining the U.S. and Japan. This will not only be a game for bragging rights, but it will also determine who wins the group, with the second-place team facing the Pool C winner, Japan, in the quarterfinals. The winner faces South Korea. Those quarterfinals also take place in Miami.

Of course, the U.S. will be keeping an eye on the Italy-Mexico game. After a shocking 8-6 loss to Italy, the U.S. needs an Italy win over Mexico to advance to the quarterfinals. If Mexico beats Italy, that creates a three-way tie at 3-1 atop Pool B. That will bring a tiebreaker involving fewest runs allowed among tied teams tiebreaker into play. As it stands right now, Mexico has allowed five runs, Italy six and the U.S. 11. Those numbers are divided by the number of defensive outs each team records. However it divides up, the Americans could on the outside of a three-way tie.

The quarterfinals take place Friday and Saturday, with the semifinals on Sunday and Monday and the championship on Tuesday. The semifinals and championship are in Miami.

Here are some players to keep an eye on today:

Sandy Alcantara, Dominican Republic

The 30-year-old Miami Marlins right-hander can set the tone for his 2026 season with a good performance against a good Venezuela lineup. Last year, Alcantara came back from Tommy John surgery and improved in his final 13 starts, posting a 3.33 ERA. He has pitched twice for the Marlins this spring, going four innings with one walk and five strikeouts. Alcantara could be lined up for the championship game if the Dominican Republic advances that far.

Wilyer Abreu, Venezuela

The Boston Red Sox right fielder has been playing left field for Venezuela. Hitting sixth in the lineup, the 26-year-old got off to a quick start in the WBC, going 2-for-4 with an RBI in the first game vs. the Netherlands, a 6-2 Venezuela win. Since then, Abreu is just 1-for-9 with two RBIs in the other two games. Abreu was a nice power source for the Red Sox in 2025, hitting 22 in 115 games.

Jac Caglianone, Italy

As he prepares for his first full MLB season, the 23-year-old Kansas City Royals outfielder has shown an improvement at the plate this spring. That was certainly evident in Italy's stunning 8-6 win over the U.S. Caglianone, who had an RBI double in four trips vs. Brazil, went 2-for-2, walked, was hit by a pitch and scored twice. He hit a two-run homer off left-hander Ryan Yarbrough, a good sign for the left-handed-hitting slugger. Caglianone struggled in his 62-game MLB debut, putting up a .157/.237/.295 slash line with 52 strikeouts. He did hit seven homers, but perhaps an offseason of making adjustments and spring success (6-for-15 with the Royals) will set him up for success in 2026.

Yariel Rodriguez, Cuba

The Toronto Blue Jays' right-handed reliever, who turned 29 Tuesday, has already appeared in two of Cuba's three WBC games. Rodriguez has been dominant in those appearances, striking out six and allowing just one hit in 4⅓ innings. This was a nice bounce back after a rough first two spring outings with the Jays. He allowed seven runs in 1⅔ innings. Rodriguez wasn't included on the World Series roster after four postseason appearances.