By Jack Borok
The 2026 World Baseball Classic gets underway this week in Houston, Miami, San Juan, and Tokyo, and for the third consecutive tournament Team Israel has qualified and will compete! Read on to find a look ahead at Team Israel’s outlook for the tournament, breakdown of the top names to watch on Team Israel’s roster, and a highlight at the end of a few bonus Jewish stars competing for the United States and Mexico.
Team Israel was placed in Pool D, alongside the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the Netherlands, and Nicaragua. In order to advance to the knockout tournament, Israel must finish in the top 2 of their pool. While this may be a difficult task with heavyweights Dominican Republic and Venezuela at the top of the pool, a realistic achievement would be to finish in the top four for automatic qualification for the next World Baseball Classic. Israel did achieve this goal at the last WBC in 2023 with their victory over Nicaragua.
Brad Ausmus, credit: Israel Baseball Americas
Kevin Youkilis, credit: The Boston Globe
Team Israel’s roster in 2026 is much improved from its 2023 team, however, starting with coaching. Brad Ausmus, the former manager of the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Angels, will be the manager for Team Israel in this year’s tournament, marking the first time that Israel has had a manager in the WBC with MLB managing experience. Another notable name joining his coaching staff is three time MLB All-Star and two time World Series Champion Kevin Youkilis as the bench coach, who will provide the team with some much needed experience playing in big games.
The coaching staff is not the only area that Team Israel has improved in since 2023. On the player side, there are multiple additions that should make this team far more competitive than its 2023 edition. A large reason for this that plays to Israel’s advantage is the WBC’s rules on player eligibility. Under the WBC rules, a player is eligible to compete for a country if they would be eligible for citizenship of that country, even if the player does not actually hold that citizenship. Due to Israel’s Law of Return, which allows anybody with a Jewish parent or grandparent, or who is married to a Jew, the right to be an Israeli citizen, Team Israel is allowed a far larger pool of athletes to choose from rather than being limited to Israeli born players. This rule contributes heavily to the improvement in Israel’s team.
Harrison Bader, credit: MLB.com
Arguably the biggest addition to Team Israel since 2023 is San Francisco Giants outfielder Harrison Bader. Bader is coming off of the best offensive season of his career, and will immediately become the best hitter for Team Israel upon joining the roster. Bader’s father is Jewish, and Harrison himself identifies as Jewish, which qualifies him for the team.
Tommy Kahnle, credit: ESPN
Another vital addition to team Israel’s roster is reliever Tommy Kahnle, who will likely serve as the closer for this year’s team. Kahnle is a longtime MLB veteran with the Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox, New York Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Detroit Tigers, who will be the most experienced player on the team. His veteran presence and leadership will be valuable for Team Israel’s run.
Dean Kremer, credit: Israel Baseball
Team Israel also has a handful of returning stars that will once again be key contributors to this year’s team. This is headlined by the team’s ace frontline starting pitcher Dean Kremer of the Baltimore Orioles. This year will be the third time Kremer has pitched for team Israel in the WBC, making him the only player to be a part of all three of Israel’s WBC runs. He will once again be the backbone of Team Israel’s pitching staff in the 2026 tournament.
Spencer Horwitz, credit: Israel Baseball Americas
Another key returner to Team Israel is infielder Spencer Horwitz of the Pittsburgh Pirates. While Horwitz was a part of the Israeli team in 2023, he is a much improved version of himself heading into the 2026 tournament, coming off of the best offensive season of his career. If Israel is going to go on a run in this year’s WBC, Horwitz is going to be a big part of it.
Garrett Stubbs, credit: Israel Baseball Americas
C.J. Stubbs, credit: Houston Chronicle
Another two players to keep an eye out for on Team Israel are the brotherly catching duo of Garrett and C.J. Stubbs. Garrett, the older brother and member of the Philadelphia Phillies, is a return player for Team Israel having been a key contributor in 2023 prior to a knee injury, and is likely to do most of the catching for the team in 2026. C.J. took over for Garrett after his injury in 2023 and will serve as his backup again in 2026. Garrett and C.J. Stubbs are notable as they are the first set of brothers to ever compete for Team Israel.
Assaf Lowengart, credit: The Jerusalem Post
The final player to watch for Team Israel is the team’s only Israeli born player, outfielder Assaf Lowengart. Lowengart is also a return player from the 2023 WBC team and will look to make a large impact again in 2026
Alex Bregman, credit: USA Baseball
In addition to the many talented players of Team Israel, there are a couple other Jewish stars to look out for on other teams in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. One of the most notable names is newly acquired Chicago Cubs superstar infielder Alex Bregman, who will be competing for Team USA. This will be Bregman’s second WBC appearance, as he competed in 2017 but did not participate in the most recent tournament in 2023. The three time MLB All-Star and two time World Series Champion will be sure to make a big impact for Team USA, as they look to be one of the favorites to take home this year’s gold medal.
Rowdy Tellez, credit: MLB.com
One final key Jewish contributor to watch in this year’s WBC is first baseman/designated hitter Rowdy Tellez of Team Mexico. This is Tellez’ second WBC appearance after being a key contributor to Team Mexico’s semifinals run in the 2023 tournament. Tellez and Mexico will look to replicate that success once again in 2026.
We look forward to cheering on Alex Bregman and Rowdy Tellez in addition to all of the incredibly talented members of Team Israel in the World Baseball Classic this year!
