Marlins Ace to Pitch for Dominican Republic in World Baseball Classic
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The 2026 World Baseball Classic rosters are continuing to be revealed during this year's MLB Winter Meetings in Orlando, Fla. One player who accepted an invitation was revealed in Marlins ace starter Sandy Alcantara, per Fan Duel Sports' Craig Mish.
Sandy Alcantara in the WBC
Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara has accepted the invitation to pitch for the Dominican Republic in the upcoming World Baseball Classic.
— Craig Mish (@CraigMish) December 9, 2025
This will be the second time the 30-year-old right hander will pitch for the Dominican Republic. He appeared in the 2023 edition of the World Baseball Classic. Alcantara made just one start in the 2023 competition, going 3.2 innings allowing five hits, and three earned runs before being pulled.
It's exciting news for fans of the Dominican Republic, especially after news of star infielders Geraldo Perdomo and Junior Caminero also claiming their spots on the 2026 roster. Adding a veteran starting pitcher to the mix now only makes this roster scarier for other nations competing.
Alcantara is coming off of a 2025 season where he made 31 starts, pitching across 174.2 innings. He would post an ERA of 5.36, and struck out hitters at a rate of 19.1%. Over the course of the second half of the season, Alcantara looked much better than his overall numbers showed.
Alcantara made 13 starts across the second half of the 2025 season. In that stretch of 83.2 innings pitched, he posted a 3.33 ERA, with 71 strikeouts to 20 walks, and a 1.04 WHIP. It was a complete turnaround compared to his 7.22 ERA in 18 starts in the first half.
His fastball velocity was never an issue. He ranked in the 91st percentile among all qualified pitchers with 97.4 mph fastball velocity. He also managed to generate ground-ball contact at an above-average rate as well.
In a World Baseball Classic where the Dominican Republic will look to get out of pool play, having Alcantara coming off of a strong second half is encouraging heading into the spring. He'll look to help lead a rotation that will be among the strongest in the entire tournament.
The quest to get back to the top of the World Baseball Classic will begin for the Dominican Republic in Alcantara's home, Loan Depot Park, in Miami. There they play in Pool D with Israel, the Netherlands, and Venezuela.
The tournament begins on March 5 and concludes March 17. With the addition of Alcantara, the Dominican Republic continues to get some of the highest quality Major League players to help bring the title home.
