A Cardinals Fan's Guide to 2026 World Baseball Classic

The St. Louis Cardinals had a busy offseason, but now must prepare for some of their players to head to the World Baseball Classic. The tournament begins on Wednesday, March 4, and eight players from the organization will suit up for their respective countries.

Back in 2023, the Cardinals had 17 players in the WBC. Lars Nootbaar was on Team Japan, who beat Team USA in the championship game. Team USA had Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Miles Mikolas and Adam Wainwright.

This time around, the cast of characters is a little bit different. Here is a Cardinals fan's guide to the Classic and who to watch as the tournament plays out.

Cardinals players to watch in WBC

It should be noted that two players that were originally going to take part in the tournament are no longer going to. Ivan Herrera had to withdraw from Team Panama due to insurance issues. Right-hander Riley O'Brien will be out for at least the first round after suffering a calf injury, though he could return if Team Korea makes a deep run.

There will be no current Cardinals on Team USA this year, but Goldschmidt and fellow former Cardinal Michael Wacha will be on the roster. Italy will have the most active Cardinals Major Leaguers, as utility man Thomas Saggese and pitcher Gordon Graceffo will be on the roster.

With Herrera out of the WBC, the only Cardinal on Team Panama is catching prospect Leonardo Bernal. Right-hander Luis Gastelum will pitch for Mexico, while outfield prospect Matt Koperniak suits up for his native Great Britain.

Infielder Bryan Torres will be on Team Puerto Rico, playing under Cardinals legend Yadier Molina, who also managed the squad back in 2023. Prospects Zach Levenson and Noah Medlinger will play for Team Israel.

Franchise legend Albert Pujols is managing the Dominican Republic National Team, and former Cardinals pitcher Sandy Alcantara will be on the roster. Randy Arozarena, who made his Major League debut with the Cardinals in 2019, will play for Team Mexico while Tyler O'Neill, now with the Baltimore Orioles will play for Team Canada.

Cardinals fans from all over the world will get a chance to see some of their current players and former players shine in the WBC. Based on the quantity of current Major League Cardinals players on the roster, Italy would be a logical choice for fans to cheer for.

But if O'Brien comes back, then it would make sense to cheer for Team Korea as well, assuming they advance in the tournament. A lot of fans may just decide to cheer for Team USA, which also makes a lot of sense.

Some fans may want to see Molina and Pujols make deep runs as managers as well, so it's completely logical to also cheer for the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, and in turn, two of the most popular players in Cardinals history.