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MLB World Baseball Classic Pool B is anchored by a powerhouse Team USA and features this year's only non-returning squad in Team Brazil. Illustration: Demetrius Robinson / The Athletic Pool B kicks off play in Houston with Mexico facing off against Great Britain and Team USA hosting Brazil on March 6. The Americans, who last won this tournament in 2017, have arguably fielded their best roster ever for this competition. They should contend to win it all again. But first, they’ll need to navigate a solid group that they share with rival Mexico and Italy. Both squads advanced past pool play in 2023. Advertisement Opening with an extra-innings win against Cuba, Team Italy advanced out of the group stage and into the quarterfinals of the 2023 WBC, but they were stopped there by the eventual champions from Japan. They share a pool with Mexico and the United States, which is a tough draw, but Team Italy was grouped with those two (and Canada) in 2013 and managed to advance, in no small part, because Chris Colabello and Anthony Rizzo combined for 13 RBIs in the tournament. Manager: Francisco Cervelli Born in Venezuela to an Italian father, Cervelli joined Team Italy as a catcher in the 2009 World Baseball Classic and was back on the WBC roster in 2017. Last January, he replaced Mike Piazza as the team’s manager and vowed to scour the country in search of talent. “I’m gonna drive more this year than anybody else, like a truck driver, ” he said. Cervelli spent 13 seasons as a big-league catcher, playing mostly for the Yankees and Pirates. His coaching staff includes former Yankees teammate Jorge Posada. Players you already know: 1B Vinnie Pasquantino, SP Aaron Nola Team Italy’s roster has a lot of major-league talent, but Royals first baseman Pasquantino has become the face of the team. This will be Pasquantino’s second WBC. Team Italy has otherwise seen a lot of turnover. Phillies starter Nola is a significant addition to the pitching staff — veteran Michael Lorenzen is also in the rotation — and the team has an all-new, big-league outfield with Jac Caglianone, Dominic Canzone and Jakob Marsee. Young White Sox catcher Kyle Teel will be behind the plate. Players you should know: SP Sam Aldegheri, 3B Andrew Fisher When he made his big-league debut in 2024, Aldegheri became the first major-league pitcher to have been born and raised in Italy. The past two years, he’s pitched 26 2/3 innings as a spot starter for the Angels. Team Italy has added a lot of veteran pitchers, but Aldegheri could still get some meaningful innings. Fisher didn’t grow up in Italy — he’s from New Jersey — but he was a first-round draft pick last summer and has a ton of power. Notably absent: OF Roman Anthony Advertisement Pasquantino was kind of an unofficial recruiter for Team Italy, and he made it clear in a Foul Territory podcast interview that he was hoping to get Anthony on the team. “I don’t know him at all, ” Pasquantino said. “Sent a nice voice memo just describing the situation of him walking up to the plate playing for Team Italy. ” The sales pitch ultimately didn’t work, as Anthony instead wound up as a late substitute for Team USA after Corbin Carroll got hurt. Pool schedule (all times ET) March 7: vs. Brazil, 1 p. m. , Fox Sports App

March 8: vs. Great Britain, 1 p. m. , Tubi

March 10: at USA, 9 p. m. , FS1

March 11: at Mexico, 7 p. m. , Tubi Having never previously advanced beyond pool play, Team Mexico made an inspiring run to the semifinals of the 2023 WBC. Along the way, they beat the United States and Puerto Rico and very nearly knocked out Japan. On the day they were finally eliminated, one win shy of playing for the championship, manager Benji Gil said: “I believe that this was a victory, even when we didn’t win today. ” Manager: Benji Gil Born in Tijuana but raised in California, Gil spent parts of eight seasons as a big-league utilityman. He’s been managing in Mexico for more than a decade and has won six Mexican Pacific League championships, including this season’s. His Charros de Jalisco went on to win Gil’s first Caribbean Series title this winter. Gil previously managed Team Mexico in the 2021 Olympics and the 2023 WBC. Players you already know: C Alejandro Kirk, IF Jonathan Aranda, RP Andrés Muñoz According to Baseball Reference, only 16 players born in Mexico have been selected to a Major League All-Star Game. Three of them — Kirk, Aranda and Muñoz — were American League All-Stars last season and will play for Team Mexico in this year’s tournament. Kirk and Aranda have been friends since childhood, having grown up together in Tijuana. Players you should know: OF Randy Arozarena, OF Jarren Duran, SP Taijuan Walker Advertisement They’re not from Mexico, but these three add even more All-Star selections to the roster. Arozarena is Cuban and played for Cuban national teams as a teenager, but when he fled the country to pursue a career in Major League Baseball, Arozarena found a new home in Mexico, and in appreciation, he joined Team Mexico in 2023. He was one of the team’s star players during its semifinal run in the most recent WBC. Duran and Walker were also on the 2023 team. Duran is from California and previously played for Team USA in an Olympic qualifier. Eligible due to his father’s Mexican descent, Duran should have a bigger role on this year’s team (he was mostly a pinch runner in 2023). Walker also went to high school in California, but he has Mexican heritage on his mother’s side and pitched for Team Mexico in a 2023 WBC win over Great Britain. Notably absent: 3B Isaac Paredes, 3B Ramón Urías, SP Patrick Sandoval There might have been a fourth 2025 All-Star on Team Mexico, but Houston Astros third baseman Paredes is sitting out after suffering a hamstring injury late last season. A potential third-base replacement for Paredes, Gold Glove winner Ramón Urías, withdrew from Team Mexico to stay in Cardinals camp during spring training. Sandoval, who could be in the Red Sox’s rotation, is also off the roster after making two starts for Team Mexico in 2023. Sandoval missed all of last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. Pool schedule (all times ET) March 6: at Great Britain, 1 p. m. , FS1

March 8: vs. Brazil, 8 p. m. , FS1

March 9: at United States, 8 p. m. , Fox

March 11: vs. Italy, 7 p. m. , Tubi The only team in this year’s field that didn’t play in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Brazil is making just its second WBC appearance. It previously played in 2013 and went 0-3 but nearly beat Japan in what would have been among the most stunning WBC upsets. Team Brazil got the final spot in this year’s tournament by beating Germany in a qualifier last March. Manager: Yuichi Matsumoto Thirteen years ago, Matsumoto was the first baseman and team captain for Brazil’s only other WBC team. He was, at the time, nearing the end of a 14-year career with the Yakult Swallows in Japan. Brazil’s catching coach, Yan Gomes, and hitting coach, Paulo Orlando, are the only Brazilians to play more than 14 games in the Major Leagues. Gomes debuted in 2012 as the first Brazilian-born player to reach the big leagues, and he remains by far the most successful Brazilian-born player in major-league history. Names you already know: 1B Dante Bichette Jr. , OF Lucas Ramirez, SP Joseph Contreras Advertisement These names might not be immediately familiar, but the last names should ring a bell. Bichette, a former supplemental first-round pick, is the son of four-time Rockies All-Star Dante Bichette Sr. (and the brother of Mets third baseman Bo Bichette). Ramirez, 20, is an outfielder in the Angels’ farm system and the son of 12-time All-Star Manny Ramirez. Most fascinating might be Contreras, the 17-year-old — yes, 17 — son of former big-league starter Jose Contreras. The youngest player in the WBC field, Contreras is a high school senior committed to Vanderbilt. Bichette, Ramirez and Contreras each have Brazilian heritage through their mothers. Names you should know: 3B Leonardo Reginatto, SP Eric Pardinho, RP Thyago Vieira Now 35 years old, Reginatto spent 10 years in the minor leagues — including four in Triple A — but never reached the majors. Since 2019, he’s put up good offensive numbers in Venezuela and Mexico while cementing himself as a mainstay of the Brazilian national team. Reginatto was vital in the team’s qualifying tournament last spring (1. 082 OPS), and he was Brazil’s best hitter during their brief run in the 2013 WBC (. 962 OPS). This is likely to be his final World Baseball Classic. Pardinho was once a notable prospect in the Blue Jays’ system, but he’s pitched to a 5. 59 ERA while dealing with injuries the past two years in Triple A. Vieira is one of just five players born in Brazil to ever play in the majors, most recently pitching for the Brewers, Orioles and Diamondbacks in 2024. Notably absent: IF Bo Bichette Bichette would have been Team Brazil’s biggest star by a wide margin. He played for Brazil during the 2016 WBC qualifying tournament; however, it was reported in January that he had decided not to play this year so that he could focus on preparing with his new Mets teammates. Bichette hurt his knee late last season, returned to play for the Blue Jays in the World Series, and signed a $126 million deal with the Mets this winter. Pool schedule (all times ET) March 6: vs USA, 8 p. m. , Fox

March 7: at Italy, 1 p. m. , Fox Sports App

March 8: at Mexico, 8 p. m. , FS1

March 9: at Great Britain, 1 p. m. , Tubi The British team did not qualify for the WBC in 2017, but returned in 2023 and got its first WBC win, upsetting Colombia. The win was enough for Great Britain to receive an automatic bid in this year’s tournament. Nationals catcher Harry Ford — then a 20-year-old prospect — was Great Britain’s star in 2023 (he hit two home runs, including one in the win), and he’ll be back in the middle of their lineup this year. Manager: Brad Marcelino Advertisement The Diamondbacks’ minor-league hitting coordinator grew up outside of London and is a British baseball icon. He played extensively for Team Great Britain and is its all-time leader in games played, with the second-most hits and third-most RBIs in the national team’s history. Marcelino is in the British Baseball Hall of Fame and is in his first WBC as manager after serving on the coaching staff in 2017 and 2023. His father, Oscar, also played and coached for Team Great Britain. Players you already know: 2B Jazz Chisholm Jr. , C Harry Ford, SP Vance Worley The Bahamas is a former British colony, which gives Chisholm eligibility to play for Great Britain. He originally joined the team for the 2016 WBC qualifier as an 18-year-old just starting his first year of pro ball in the United States. He hit . 250 with a couple of stolen bases in four games, but Great Britain didn’t qualify. This is his first time playing for Team GB in the actual WBC. Former Phillies starter Worley is the most accomplished big-league pitcher on the roster, but he’s 38, last pitched in the majors in 2017 and hasn’t pitched in affiliated ball since 2021. Players you should know: OF Matt Koperniak, OF Kristian Robinson, SP Gary Gill Hill Koperniak was born in London and spent the past two seasons with the Cardinals’ Triple-A affiliate and has the potential to become a left-handed bat off their bench. He and Robinson — an outfielder in the Diamondbacks’ system, born in the Bahamas — could be key pieces of Team Great Britain’s outfield, while Gill Hill could be one of their top pitchers. Gill Hill is among Keith Law’s “others of note” in a deep Rays minor-league system. Red Sox utilityman Nate Eaton, Giants long reliever Tristan Beck and former Dodgers and White Sox outfielder Trayce Thompson are also on the roster. Notably absent: RP Aroldis Chapman When Great Britain released its preliminary roster this winter, one name stood out: Red Sox closer Chapman. Known as the Cuban Missile, Chapman had no immediate connection to Great Britain, but because his grandparents emigrated to Cuba from Jamaica — which was a British colony until 1962 — Chapman was potentially eligible. However, Francys Romero reported in February that Chapman ultimately did not meet the eligibility requirements, and he was left off the final roster. Advertisement Pool schedule March 6: vs. Mexico, 1 p. m. , FS1

March 7: at USA, 8 p. m. , Fox

March 8: at Italy, 1 p. m. , Tubi

March 9: vs. Brazil, 1 p. m. , Tubi The United States has won the World Baseball Classic once in five attempts. Its lone championship came in 2017, when Marcus Stroman was the MVP, Eric Hosmer and Brandon Crawford were the top hitters and Adam Jones made an iconic catch in center field. It’s a new generation of American players filling this year’s roster, and after losing to Japan in the 2023 championship game, Team USA seems to have its most complete roster to date, having finally added some of the country’s most prominent pitchers. Manager: Mark De Rosa A longtime super-utility player in the big leagues and a member of the 2009 Team USA roster, De Rosa became the American manager in 2023 and is returning for his second WBC in that role. A prominent personality on MLB Network, he has become an outspoken ambassador and recruiter. His coaching staff is star-studded, including pitching coach Andy Pettitte, hitting coaches Matt Holliday and Sean Casey, and various other assistants like former All-Stars Brian Mc Cann and Michael Young and former big-league managers Fredi González and David Ross. Players you already know: RF Aaron Judge, SS Bobby Witt Jr. , SP Tarik Skubal, SP Paul Skenes If you’re reading this, you probably know — conservatively — 75 to 100 percent of Team USA’s roster. The American team has long had one of the best, most recognizable lineups in the WBC, and this year, Team USA has upgraded its pitching staff to include the two best pitchers in baseball (Skubal and Skenes), the hardest thrower in the game (Mason Miller) and a future Hall of Famer (Clayton Kershaw as a mid-bullpen role player). There’s also Logan Webb and David Bednar. And Cal Raleigh, Bryce Harper and Gunnar Henderson. And Kyle Schwarber. And Alex Bregman. The list of familiar names goes on and on. Players you should know: RP Garrett Whitlock, SP Nolan Mc Lean, 2B Brice Turang Advertisement There are so many household names, it’s hard to single out many Team USA players who might not be instantly recognizable, but here are three who might be relatively anonymous but also important. Whitlock, the Red Sox’s setup man, had the third-highest reliever f WAR last season, with a Win Probability Added almost identical to Miller’s. Mc Lean, a 24-year-old Mets prospect, is one of the most highly touted prospects in the game and could play an important role (especially when none of the starters are stretched out to a full-season workload). Turang is the most experienced second baseman on the roster, and even if Henderson plays second base ahead of him, Turang’s elite defense and speed could be important off the bench. Notably absent: OF Mike Trout, SP Garrett Crochet, OF Corbin Carroll After serving as Team USA’s captain in 2023, Mike Trout was among the many players who did not receive insurance coverage this year. Red Sox ace Garrett Crochet is perhaps the most notable American pitcher left off the roster. He told the Boston Globe that he declined an opportunity to pitch due to workload concerns and doing “what was best for my family and for my team. ” Crochet has a newborn daughter. One of Crochet’s teammates, Roman Anthony, was a late addition to the roster after Corbin Carroll broke a hamate bone at the very beginning of spring training. Pool schedule (all times ET) March 6: at Brazil, 8 p. m. , Fox

March 7: vs. Great Britain, 8 p. m. , Fox

March 9: vs. Mexico, 8 p. m. , Fox

March 10: vs. Italy. 9 p. m. , FS1 Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Play today's puzzle Chad Jennings is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Boston Red Sox and Major League Baseball. He was on the Red Sox beat previously for the Boston Herald, and before moving to Boston, he covered the New York Yankees for The Journal News and contributed regularly to USA Today. Follow Chad on Twitter @chadjennings22