Marlins Infielder Javier Sanoja Seeking to Join Elite Company If Venezuela Wins
In this story:
The Miami Marlins infielder Javier Sanoja is enjoying every moment of the World Baseball Classic representing his country, Team Venezuela.
Venezuela captured a sensational victory over the Cinderella story Italy in the semifinals, advancing to the classic finals for the first time in a meeting against the USA.
Sanoja has the chance to win the classic final and join two former Marlins in that category.
Sanoja Can Be Mentioned in the Same Sentence with Two Former Marlins
The 23-year-old is an exceptional defensive infielder. He’s taking it all in on all the success that Venezuela is having in this tournament. Venezuela has lost only one game throughout the entire competition, and that was against the Dominican Republic.
Only this time, they don’t have to worry about the powerhouse team, Dominican Republic; Venezuela has to take down another tough team in the USA, who defeated DR 2-1 on Monday.
There are only two Marlins who have won the World Baseball Classic. Those two players are Giancarlo Stanton and Christian Yelich. If Venezuela wins tonight, Sanoja becomes the third Miami player to be part of a championship team.
Giancarlo Stanton and Christian Yelich (USA, 2017) are the only players to win a WBC championship while being active members of the Marlins.
— Fish On First (@FishOnFirst) March 17, 2026
Javier Sanoja joins them if Venezuela pulls off the upset tonight… https://t.co/gKT3CaBAkK
Stanton and Yelich played in the USA team in 2017. The USA defeated Puerto Rico 8-0 in the finals. That’s the same season that Stanton went on to win the National League MVP, and it was his final season with the Marlins before getting traded to the New York Yankees.
Yelich was a good player for the Marlins, but he didn’t blossom into a star MVP player until the following season, when he was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers. The Marlins surely don’t want to give away Sanoja anytime soon because he’s only getting started, and we don’t know what the future may hold.
In baseball, we will never know which player can get hit at any particular point in their career. Sanoja has been with the Marlins organization since he was 18. Sanoja is entering his third season in the big leagues with the team.
In 2025, Sanoja slashed hitting .243/.287/.683 with 22 doubles, 76 hits, 6 home runs, and 38 RBIs in 120 games. During the World Baseball Classic, in 8 at-bats, Sanoja is slashing .375/.375/1.125. Undoubtedly, one of the players who is helping out this Venezuela team.
Sanoja has spent time in the minors and with players overseas. He has put in the time and reps to try to play at a high level in the big leagues. It’s an important season for Sanoja, but first, he wants to capture a championship for his country. It would be the ultimate accomplishment and impeccable start to his season.
Venezuela and the USA will collide tonight at 8:00 p.m. EST.
After graduating from City College of New York in 2014, Miguel created his own blog. Since 2021, he has written for FanSided, where he covered the Toronto Blue Jays, College Football and Utah Mammoth hockey team. He also wrote for Miami Heat on SI and Cleveland Sports Talk. Miguel is the creator and host of his podcast, Baseball Heat Podcast with Mike.