WBC Team Preview: Italy
Team Italy returns to the World Baseball Classic looking to finally break past the quarterfinals stage of the World Baseball Classic, having never been able to make it past the second round. They enter 2026 with a revamped roster, their sights set on reaching the third round and beyond. They will once again have a hard road to get there as they find themselves in the same pool as one of the most stacked teams from the USA.
Vinnie Pasquantino: William Purnell-Imagn Images
MiLB and MLB PLAYERS
Team Italy in 2026 features 25 MiLB and MLB players, including Sam Aldegheri of the Angels, Camden Minacci of and Zach Dezenzo of the Astros, Andrew Fischer of the Brewers, Gordon Graceffo and Thomas Saggese of the Cardinals, Dylan DeLucia and Matt Festa of the Gardens, Dominic Canzone and Miles Mastrobuoni of the Mariners, Jakob Marsee from the Marlins, Joe Jacques and Nick Morabito of the Mets, Alek Jacob and Ron Marinaccio of the Padres, Aaron Nola and Dante Nori of the Phillies, Alessandro Ercolani, Joe La Sorsa, and Kyle Nicolas of the Pirates, Greg Weissert of the Red Sox, Jac Caglianone and Vinnie Pasquantino of the Royals, Dan Altavilla of the twins, and Sam Antonacci of the White Sox.
The two most notable players for this year’s team are the Royals’ right fielder, Caglianone and first baseman, Pasquantino. This will be Pasquantino’s second classic and Caglianone’s first.
Pasquantino missed a significant amount of time from 2023 to 2024 with a torn labrum in his right shoulder and then a fracture in his right thumb. He appeared in 17 major league games in 2025 batting .208/.216/.417, with a .733 OPS.
Caglianone is the Royals’ breakout rookie, who they drafted in 2024 with the first-round pick out of the University of Florida. He quickly surged through the minor leagues and made his way onto the major league roster in 2025. Last season, he appeared in 14 games for Kansas City. In 18 at-bats, he hit .500/.609/1.167, with a 1.776 OPS.
NOTABLE COACHES
Team Italy this season is coached by two former Yankees catchers. Both Francisco Cervelli and Jorge Posada will coach this year’s team, giving not just a great lineup of players, but veteran MLB legends coaching them as well.
Former Mets assistant GM Allard Baird is Italy’s first base coach.
METS PLAYERS
Mets minor leaguers Jacques and Morabito are also featured on the 2026 Italy roster. Jacques was acquired by the Mets in October after they signed him to a free agent contract. He received an invite to major league spring training camp.
In 2025, he split the season between the Los Angeles Dodgers’ and Seattle Mariners’ Pacific Coast League teams. Between Oklahoma City and the Tacoma Rainiers, he was 3-1 with a 6.02 ERA. Over the course of 52 1/3 innings, he struck out 61.
Morabito is the Mets’ No. 14 prospect per MLB Pipeline. In 2025, he played for Double-A Binghamton, hitting .273/.348/.385, with a .733 OPS. He hit 27 doubles, two triples, and six home runs. He drove in 59 RBIs and scored 63 runs. He was added to the Mets’ 40-man roster earlier this offseason.
Former Met Adam Ottavino is in the Italian bullpen.
WBC HISTORY
Team Italy’s best finish was in 2013, when they finished seventh in the tournament. In the 2023 edition of the classic, the Team made it out of the group round but were eliminated in the first game of the quarterfinals, losing 9-3 to defending champions Japan. In 2013, they faced their toughest group stage, drawn into the same group as the powerhouse United States.
POOL
Italy opens its 2026 World Baseball Classic tournament on Saturday, March 7, against Brazil at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas. The other teams in Pool B are Great Britain, Mexico, and the United States.
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