Former college baseball stars playing in the 2026 World Baseball Classic

The World Baseball Classic is one of the most exciting events in baseball, coming to life every few years with a melting pot of players representing their home countries on a national stage.

The two-week tournament will feature many MLB stars that are stepping away from spring training for to play for their countries. Some of these players are ones that have been in spotlight for years dating back to college, long before making a name for themselves in the MLB. ;

Here's a full list of MLB players competing in the WBC, and notable college players that have either went to become household names at the professional level or are just starting their journeys. 

Bonafide MLB stars

Paul Skenes (United States) — LSU/Air Force

Paul Skenes strikes out 12 in Men's College World Series debut

The 23-year-old could technically still fall under the bright-eyed and bushy-tailed category, but with the 2025 NL Cy Young Award, throw that idea out the window. 

Skenes has been one of the faces of the sport for the last few years, beginning with one of the most unique and awarded collegiate careers. The right-hander turned just two scholarship offers out of high school into a First-Team All-American freshman year at Air Force. He topped that a year later by winning the John Olerud Award, given to the nation's best two-way player.

Yes, one of the best pitchers in the world was originally a two-way monster in college.

Skenes stepped fully into the spotlight after transferring to LSU as a pitcher for his junior year in 2023, setting the table for one of the most storied single seasons in school history. He went 13-2 with a 1.69 ERA and 209 strikeouts — snapping the SEC and LSU record — and won the National Pitcher of the Year Award and the Dick Howser Trophy.

The climax of his season was helping the Tigers win their seventh national championship. He was named the Men’s College World Series Most Outstanding Player, leading to a No. 1 overall selection in the 2023 MLB Draft.

Aaron Judge (United States) — Fresno State      

The United States team captain is unquestionably the most well-known Fresno State player from the 2010s, donning the jersey from 2011 to 2013.

The three-time MLB MVP got to work the second he stepped on Pete Beiden Field. Judge won WAC Freshman of the Year, a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American award and First-Team All-Conference all in his first year. He hit .345, 18 home runs and 93 RBI for the Bulldogs over the course of his college career and secured two more First-Team All-Conference honors. 

Besides helping Fresno State reach the NCAA tournament in 2011 and 2012. He also took the 2012 TD Ameritrade College Home Run Derby, foreshadowing what was to come in 2017. He entered the school's sports Hall of Fame in 2019.

Cal Raleigh (United States) — Florida State        

Florida State has a strong history of producing elite catchers, and Raleigh is somewhere on that long list,

He was allergic to missing games for the Seminoles, playing in all of them his first two seasons. Raleigh won Freshman First-Team All-American honors from multiple outlets and more All-American awards his junior season. 

2017 was an off year for the switch hitter, struggling at the plate partially due to a left thumb injury, but he shined in major postseason moments. He hit the winning run in the ACC championship game against North Carolina, drove in the tying run in the Super Regional final versus Sam Houston State and hammered a homer in the bottom of the ninth inning of a MCWS elimination game facing LSU.

Maybe another clutch, big swing will be on display soon for the MLB's 2025 home run leader. 

Alex Bregman (United States) — LSU        

When talking about historic freshman seasons, Bregman’s name needs to be mentioned in the conversation. 

He was named the 2013 National Freshman of the Year and First-Team All-American by multiple outlets, batting .369 with a 23-game hitting streak. The accolades didn’t stop there for Bregman, becoming the first freshman to win the Brooks Wallace Award, given to the top shortstop in the country. The only thing stopping him from being a top pick in the 2013 MLB Draft was his ineligibility. 

Bregman continued to dominate for the next two seasons, hitting over .310 in both 2014 and 2015, and receiving the 2015 ABCA Gold Glove Award. He helped the Tigers reach the 2015 MCWS as well. 

The three-time All-Star and two-time World Series champion was roommates with right-hander Aaron Nola, who made this list, too.

👉 Click here to watch Bregman's LSU highlights

Kyle Schwarber (United States) — Indiana  

Schwarber was a pivotal piece to Indiana’s success in the early 2010s. He was the heart of the Hoosiers’ heart of the batting order and anchored the defense at catcher.

The Middletown, Ohio native was a two-time First-Team All-American and Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American, finishing his career ranked fifth in school history for slugging percentage (.607), sixth in home runs (40) and eighth in hits (238). Additionally, he was a Johnny Bench Award finalist, now known as the Buster Posey Award, which is given to the top catcher in the country. 

He hit .341 across three seasons and helped IU reach its first and only MCWS in 2013. The MLB's 2025 RBI leader joined the school’s sports Hall of Fame in 2025.

is finally here!

The is back... and so are bombs like this from !

— Indiana Baseball (@IndianaBase)

Also notable: 

Aaron Nola (Italy), LSU: Nola has one of the most decorated resumes in SEC baseball history, building a trophy case full of personal accomplishments almost impossible to top. 

For starters, he was the SEC Pitcher of the Year in 2013 and 2014, winning National Pitcher of the Year the latter season. His combined ERA across his sophomore and junior seasons was 1.52 with 256 strikeouts and seven complete games. The 2018 MLB All-Star spearheaded the Tigers' pitching staff during its run to the 2013 MCWS. 

Potential stars in the making

Jac Caglianone (Italy) — Florida

"Dominance" was Caglianone’s middle name at Florida, becoming the worst nightmare for opposing pitching staffs largely in 2023 and 2024.

Like Skenes’ early college career, he was one of the unicorns of the sport, winning the 2024 John Olerud Award. Hitting was his bread and butter, though, breaking the Gators’ single-season home run record with 33 in 2023 and finishing with the most in Florida program history. This included a historic run in April 2024, smashing one in nine straight games, tying the NCAA record. 

By the time his college career ended at the 2024 MCWS, Caglianone had two First-Team All-Americans under his belt and a .355 batting average. 

A 2024 MLB first round pick, his first stint in the majors for the Kansas City Royals wasn’t too hot, but 2026 provides an opportunity to bounce back.

👉 Check out Caglianone's incredible two-way career 

Jake Gelof (Israel) — Virginia     

Many players' collegiate goals include etching their names into school history, whether that’s by a statistic or team milestone. 

Gelof didn’t just accomplish this once, he did it multiple times, cementing himself in Virginia program history. Becoming the Cavaliers’ all-time home run leader is only the start, as he broke UVA’s single season RBI record twice, tied numerous Virginia NCAA tournament single-game records and produced the school’s third-highest slugging percentage in a one season. 

The three-year starter and 2024 MLB second round pick is surprisingly the only player on this list to not be recognized nationally as a First-Team All-American, but the the numbers show how impactful he was for the Cavaliers. 

Nolan McLean (United States) — Oklahoma State 

McLean’s definition of a two-way player in college looked different than stars like Skenes and Caglianone, initially committing to play baseball (pitcher and position player) and football (quarterback) at Oklahoma State.

But after redshirting his freshman football season, he hung up those cleats to focus solely on baseball, and the decision paid off. 2022 was his best year at the plate, hitting .285 with 19 home runs while getting named to the Perfect Game/Rawlings All-American Second Team. He became the third player in Cowboys history to earn conference honors at two different positions.

2023 was his strongest season on the bump, becoming a reliable piece to OSU’s bullpen, finishing with a 3.30 ERA and six saves, tied for a team-best.

Considering he’s one of the top prospects in the MLB after a strong stint in the big leagues for the New York Mets in 2025, it’s safe to say the 2024 MLB third round pick chose the right sport. 

Game. Over.

 6⃣ saves for , 7⃣ wins in a row for the Cowboys

— OSU Cowboy Baseball (@OSUBaseball)

Kyle Teel (Italy) — Virginia    

Virginia has churned out just one Buster Posey Award winner since it was created in 2000: Kyle Teel.

He played for the Cavaliers from 2021 to 2023 like Gelof, and was a brick wall behind the plate and did damage whenever a bat was in his hands. A consensus First-Team All-American for six different outlets, Teel’s batting average never dipped below .400 the entire 2023 campaign while starting all 65 games at catcher. 

Helping take UVA to the MCWS in 2021 and 2023, he ended his career in the school’s top 10 of home runs (seventh - 28), runs scored (eighth - 170), batting average (10th - .343) and more. He was a 2023 MLB first round pick and hit .273 in his rookie season for the Chicago White Sox last year. 

👉 Click here to watch Teel's extraordinary career at UVA

Also notable: 

Andrew Fischer (Italy), Tennessee: Fischer was one of the best hitters in college baseball in 2025, leaving a lasting impression on the Volunteers faithful in his single season there. 

Transferring from Duke and Ole Miss, the infielder and 2025 MLB first round pick matched his fiery persona every time he entered the batter’s box with a .341 batting average, reached base in all 65 games and smashed 25 home runs, the third-most in the nation.  He was a First-Team All-American for six different outlets.

List of MLB players in the WBC

Below lists the players on an MLB team that are competing in the WBC, listed in alphabetical order by WBC team and then first name. Readers may have to scroll to read the entire table.

Note: Pitchers that are a part of the Designated Pitcher Pool (DPP) are not listed