The WBC is About to End for Some Players- Preseason Prep- March 9, 2026
The WBC has been taking most of the attention of the baseball world recently. The round robin stage has had some great performances and exciting games. Pool play ends Wednesday, though, and a dozen teams will be done. Quite a few players who have been away from Spring Training will return to their MLB teams.
Jazz Chisholm Jr– 2B- NYY- Chisholm has been playing for the Great Britain team in the WBC. He will be back in Yankees camp soon. Chisholm will return to second base and will put up power numbers in 2026. Last year he slugged 31 homers and is projected to come near that with 28 this year. With 32 projected steals it wouldn’t take much for Chisholm to rejoin the 30/30 club. That power and speed combo has him at an ADP of 2.08. However, Chisholm had a .242 AVG with a .234 xBA in 2025. His AVG is expected to come nearer his xBA and be at .235. That tempers Chisholm’s value and he has a FDP of 4.04. Jansen’s stellar career may be resulting in him being overvalued. His 12.06 ADP is above his 23.11 FDP.
Dominic Canzone– OF- SEA- Canzone’s spring training is on hold as he is playing for Team Italy in the WBC. When he gets back to the Mariners he is expected to get the long part of a DH platoon with Rob Refsnyder. Canzone is projected to increase his playing time and homer production in 2026. He is slated for a .261 AVG, 23 homers, 61 runs, and 64 RBI in 459 ABs. Those would all be career highs. Canzone’s 92.4 EV and 50.0% HardHit% last year showed his elite power skills. He is undervalued with a 29.01 ADP and 21.02 FDP.
Thomas Saggese– 2B- STL- Saggese will return to the top of the depth chart at 2B for the Cardinals once Team Italy is done with the WBC. Despite a 90.2 EV and 44.1% HardHIt% in 2025 he only hit 2 homers in 295 MLB PAs. That looks like an outlier based on Saggese’s power numbers in the minors where he twice hit 20 or more homers. Saggese is projected to up his homer total to 14 in 385 ABs this year. If he gets more playing time the homer total will be higher. Saggese is a late-round bargain with his 45.01 ADP lower than his 36.03 FDP.
Matt Festa– RP- CLE- Wednesday’s Italy-Mexico WBC contest may decide which of them will head to the knockout round. If it’s Italy, then Festa will be away from the Guardians longer. He will be in a middle inning role again, which gives him some value in leagues that count holds. Festa collected 12 of them last year. In 2026 he is projected to post a 3.91 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, and 59 Ks in 65 IPs.
Curtis Mead– 1B- CHW- Mead is one of the members of Team Australia whose return to their MLB team depends on when they are out of the WBC. Mead is out of options and is on the bubble with the White Sox. He hasn’t shown the power that was hoped for him. In limited action with Tampa Bay last year, before being dealt to Chicago, Mead had an EV of 89.2 and HardHIt% of 38.6%. After the trade, they were only 86.1 and 31.6%, respectively. The longer he is away, the tougher it will be for him to nail down a job as a utility player for the White Sox. Even if he catches on with someone else, Mead would have to exhibit more effective power to be worth paying attention to.
Xander Bogaerts– SS- SD- Bogaerts’ WBC odyssey will be over when Team Netherlands is done with their exit after the round robin phase. He will return to man SS for the Padres. Bogaerts is projected to hit .255 with 17 homers, 13 steals, 73 runs, and 70 RBI. His balanced production doesn’t always stand out. That gives him an opportunity to be a bargain with his ADP at 20.02 and FDP at 16.10.
Kenley Jansen– RP- DET- Team Netherlands will be out of the WBC soon and Jansen will be back with the Tigers. Despite the presence of two other relievers who could function as closer, Jansen is expected to take the lead in save situations. The veteran is projected to collect 28 saves and post a 3.49 ERA and 1.13 WHIP while striking out 57 in 57 IPs.
Dean Kremer– P- BAL- Kremer will be back in Sarasota with the O’s when his time with Team Israel in the WBC is over soon. In 2025 he led Baltimore with 171.2 IPs. This year Kremer is projected to toss 166 IPs with a 4.07 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and 138 Ks. His control helps limit damage. Kremer’s ADP of 40.01 makes him a potential late-round bargain as his FDP is 28.01.
Jung Hoo Lee– OF- SF- Team Korea has lost 2 of 3 in the WBC so are unlikely to advance to the knockout round. That means Lee will be heading back to the Cactus League soon. While his power is not exceptional for a corner outfielder, he is projected to hit double digits in homers (12) and steals (10.) Lee is also projected to add 84 runs and 58 RBI while batting .279. This boosts his overall value. Currently Lee has a 26.02 ADP and 16.11 FDP, so he is a bargain candidate.
Logan Allen– P- CLE- A heartbreaking extra-inning loss by Team Panama against Puerto Rico means that Allen will be headed back to the Guardians’ camp soon. He is slotted into rotation spot for Cleveland. In 2025 Allen posted a 4.25 ERA, and 7.01 K/9, with a 4.37 FIP and 4.72 xFIP in 156.2 IPs. His 2026 projections are for more of the same, with a 4.50 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, and 122 Ks in 152 IPs. For the number of innings Allen provides, his results still don’t give him enough value to make him worthwhile.
Jose Quintana– P- COL- With Team Colombia having a record of 0-3, Quintana’s tournament time will soon be at an end. He has overperformed his underlying metrics consistently. In the last 4 years Quintana has had an ERA under 4.00. In each season his xFIP was between 0.69 and 0.96 higher than his ERA. That has become more of a trend than an anomaly. This season, though, Quintana will be pitching for the Rockies. With Milwaukee in 2025 his home ERA was 5.08 but 2.97 on the road. There will be more of an impact with another hitter-friendly park as his home. Quintana is projected to post a 4.61 ERA in 150 IPs. His win total is projected to drop from 11 to 6.
Travis Bazzana– 2B- CLE- The #1 draft pick from 2024 made his way up to AAA Columbus last year. Bazzana is expected to make his way to Cleveland at some point this year but still has development to do. With a24.2% BB% in 120 PAs at Columbus it looks like teams were pitching around him. Bazzana still had a 24.3% K% and 4 homers so he was a real “three true outcomes” hitter in that limited sample size. He is projected to hit .223 with 11 homers in 435 ABs with the Guardians this season. His reputation is giving him an inflated 41.12 ADP compared to his 52.10 FDP. The timing of his return to the Cleveland camp depends on how far Team Australia gets in the WBC.
Harry Ford– C- WAS- Ford is currently with the Great Britain team in the WBC. With their record 0-3, he will be returning to the Nationals soon. They acquired Ford from Seattle in the offseason. He was blocked there by some guy named Cal Raleigh. The righthanded Ford will start by sharing time behind the plate with the switch-hitting Keibert Ruiz. Ford has a much higher offensive potential and is projected to hit .236 with 14 homers, 48 RBI, and 46 runs in 387 ABs. Long term, Ford will be the primary backstop in Washington. An early return from the WBC will be a good thing for him to get in work with his MLB pitching staff.
Oh, yeah. There are still players who didn’t join a WBC team and Cactus League and Grapefruit Leagues are still going on and positions are still being decided.
Ryan Walker– RP- SF- With Randy Rodriguez out for the season after Tommy John surgery, Walker has reclaimed the closer role for the Giants. He started as the closer in 2025, but gave it up to Rodriguez after some struggles in April and May. Walker finished strong with 7 saves and a hold in 10 opportunities from August 24th. He had some inconsistency. He only allowed runs in 4 of his 10 appearances to close the season. However, Walker gave up 7 ERs in 1.2 IP in those 4 games. That elevated his ERA in that span to 6.10. Walker is projected to notch 30 saves in 2026 and post a 3.32 ERA and 1.15 WHIP as well as strike out 64 batters in 59 IPs. He is somewhat overvalued at a 14.09 ADP compared to his 19.10 FDP.
Joey Wentz– P- ATL- Wentz suffered an apparent knee injury covering first base on a bunt attempt yesterday. He was able to walk to a golf cart that took him off the field. Initial examinations showed no ACL tear and it is hoped that Wentz isn’t going to be the latest Braves’ starter to be sidelined for a significant period of time. At least for the early part of the season the Braves are expected to go with a six-man rotation with Wentz and Bryce Elder holding down the final two slots. The Draft Advisory Software has Elder maintaining a position in the rotation as the injuries heal. Wentz is projected to toss 78 IPs and post a 4.44 ERA and 1.42. The projections for Elder at 151 IPs, 4.27 ERA, and 1.30 are better.