Son of Ex-MLB Pitcher Jose Contreras Caps Stint in World Baseball Classic

Joseph Contreras, a 17-year-old pitcher out of Blessed Trinity Catholic High School in Georgia, capped his stint in the World Baseball Classic on Monday.

Contreras, who competed for Team Brazil, was the youngest player on any WBC roster. He is also the son of Jose Contreras, a former major league pitcher for 11 seasons who won a World Series with the Chicago White Sox in 2005.

The age gap might have been out of the ordinary in a tournament like the WBC, but Joseph Contreras still had impressive moments for Brazil.

On Friday in his WBC debut, Contreras went 1 ⅓ innings and allowed a run, two hits and three walks in Brazil’s 15-5 loss to Team USA.

Contreras’s outing included forcing New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge to ground into a second inning-ending double play. With the bases loaded and one out, Judge broke his bat after he swung at the 17-year-old’s 94-mile per hour fastball, which led to the groundout and the 5-4-3 DP.

Aaron Judge was impressed by 17-year old high school senior Joseph Contreras' outing for Brazil 👏 pic.twitter.com/cITsV7ZLv7
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) March 7, 2026

“It was just impressive seeing him control himself out there and get out of a big jam. And he had some good stuff,” Judge said after the game via MLB.com. “I know I wasn’t doing that at that age. I know he had some poise on the mound, and he's throwing up to 100 miles an hour.”

According to MLB.com, it took Contreras some time to realize that he got a big out against a three-time American League MVP.

“Now that I look back, I'm like ‘OK, now I can see the magnitude of bases-loaded, one out,’” Contreras said via MLB.com. “In the moment I just had to execute my pitches and just hopefully just get (Judge) out somehow, fly ball, maybe ground ball, just force him to make weak contact.”

Contreras’ second and final appearance came in Brazil’s 8-1 loss to Great Britain on Monday. Tossing another 1 ⅓ innings, Contreras allowed two runs, two hits and three walks with two strikeouts.

17-year-old Joseph Contreras is making a name for himself with Team Brazil at the #WorldBaseballClassic 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/feggCfubCv
— World Baseball Classic (@WBCBaseball) March 9, 2026

Now, Contreras, a senior, will soon rejoin a Blessed Trinity team that is 7-5 so far this season. In the 2025 season, the Titans went 34-9 and captured their fourth GHSA state title in program history.

Contreras, who is committed to Vanderbilt baseball, is currently ranked 47th for prospects in the 2026 MLB Draft. He is also ranked 34th on Baseball America’s list of top prospects in this year’s draft.

A native of Roswell, Georgia, Contreras’ four-seam fastball has peaked at 98 MPH. According to MLB scouts, Contreras’ best pitch is the forkball, which ranges between 77-81 MPH.

Team Brazil made its second-ever WBC appearance this year. Brazil was eliminated from contention after they compiled a 0-4 record in Pool B.

Sign Up for High School on SI’s Free Daily Newsletters

Download the SBLive App

To get live updates on your phone — as well as follow your favorite teams and top games — you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App | Download Android App