Which Phillies are we most excited to see in the World Baseball Classic?

Phillies players scheduled to compete in this year’s World Baseball Classic will leave the team on March 1 to join their respective clubs. The Phillies have 10 players in major league camp that will compete in the tournament, from big stars such as Bryce Harper and Cristopher Sánchez to prospects such as former first rounder Dante Nori.

Who are we most excited to see? There are plenty of great choices. Either way, we’re all pumped to watch this incredible international tournament. Pool play in Tokyo begins on March 4. Games played in North America (Houston, Miami and San Juan) start on March 6.

Destiny Lugardo — Site Director — Edmundo Sosa (Panama)

Edmundo Sosa and Panama probably won’t make it out of the first round, but I’m excited to see Sosa in both an elevated role and in an electric environment at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He may be the best player on that team. If he homers, I’m fully expecting to see one of the greatest bat flips of all time. I will be locked in at 11:00 a.m. next Friday to see Sosa’s World Baseball Classic debut.

Ty Daubert — Editorial Director — Kyle Schwarber (Team USA)

Kyle Schwarber stepped up to another level last season with the Phillies as he hit 56 home runs in a career year. He’s developed into one of those must-watch players, a slugger so powerful and exciting that you know you might just end up kicking yourself if you look away for even one swing. And the World Baseball Classic will give Schwarber another opportunity to impress.

The designated hitter did well for himself and for Team USA during the 2023 WBC. He homered in the championship game before the United States fell to Japan. But Schwarber has only gotten better in the last three years. Team USA will be a serious contender for a gold medal in 2026, and Schwarber will be one of the brightest stars on its stacked roster.

Nathan Ackerman — Staff Writer —  Cristopher Sánchez (Dominican Republic)

Perhaps I’m most eager or curious about Harper or Aaron Nola. Excited? That would be Cristopher Sánchez, who, since blossoming into stardom, has shown he commands the big stage as well as he does his changeup. I expect no different in his first World Baseball Classic. 

Sánchez is already tabbed as the Dominican Republic’s starter for its opener against Nicaragua, named as such by manager Albert Pujols, which is pretty cool. And he’ll do it with a loaded field behind him, including Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Manny Machado, Oneil Cruz, Julio Rodríguez, Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr., Junior Caminero, you get the point. (Maybe some late-game Johan Rojas or Seranthony Domínguez?) Watching Sánchez in that March 6 opener means watching that lineup as well, loaded both with talent and with the energy that makes the WBC awesome. Sign me up.

Bailey Digh – Staff Writer — Bryce Harper (Team USA)

Harper has almost done it all. But he’s yet to represent his country on the international stage since becoming a professional baseball player. It’ll be exciting to see how Harper, who tends to turn it up a notch when the lights are at their brightest, performs for Team USA and if playing meaningful baseball in March helps him better lock in as the regular season approaches.

The chatter surrounding Harper has been tiring for some time. It’ll be great to see him play real baseball again. Hopefully, he has a big moment, and everyone talks about that and how good he is instead of stuff that mostly doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.