Wednesday, March 12

Welcome to the International Beat newsletter. I'm MLB.com's Michael Clair and I'm glad you're here. 

The World Baseball Classic Qualifiers have wrapped up, with Nicaragua, Chinese Taipei, Colombia and Brazil rounding out the field of 20 teams that will play in next year’s World Baseball Classic. With less than 365 days to go until first pitch and before we leap headlong into roster previews and championship dreams, let’s take a look back at the 10 players who impressed at the Taipei and Tucson Qualifiers. 

1. Leonardo Reginatto - Brazil

Every time the Brazilian national team has needed him, Reginatto has come through. The 34-year-old third baseman has appeared in every World Baseball Classic tournament and Qualifier that Brazil has played in and he’s hit the cover off the ball every single time. Now 34 years old –  and admitting that this would be his final Qualifier – Reginatto went 5-for-13 with three doubles and four RBIs. That brings his career numbers in the Qualifiers (2012, ‘16, ‘22, ‘25) to a remarkable 26-for-51 with 11 RBIs. He was no slouch in the 2013 Classic, either, going 4-for-11. 

2. Brandon Leyton - Nicaragua

Leyton did it all at the Qualifiers: The former Reds prospect (back then he played under his middle name, Steven), smashed a laser-beam of a home run to take a 1-0 lead against Spain (which would prove crucial in Nicaragua’s 2-1 extra-innings victory) and made some stellar plays with the glove en route to Nicaragua’s 3-0 run through the Taipei Qualifier. He finished 6-for-13 with two doubles, a homer, and two RBIs. 

Brandon Leyton homers against Spain. Click image to view highlight

3. Jesús Marriaga - Colombia

Colombia never looked like they were in too much danger during the Qualifier, thanks in part to players like Marriaga. The outfielder was supernova in this one, slashing a ridiculous .500/.538/1.000 line with a home run, double, triple, and seven RBIs. 

The only other player with seven ribbies in the Qualifiers? Why, that would be the next person on the list …

4. Rusber Estrada - Spain

Estrada has plenty of power: He hammered 44 home runs over the last two seasons combined in indy ball. He showed that off in the Taipei Dome. Estrada smashed two home runs  – the only player in either qualifier to go deep multiple times – picking up five more hits and tying Marriaga with seven RBIs. 

Spain is now 0-3 in win-and-advance games in the past two Qualifiers, but it’s certainly no fault of Estrada’s. 

5. Ronald Medrano - Nicaragua

I’ll give Medrano the nod here as he started off the Qualifier on fire, giving up one run and striking out eight in five innings against South Africa, but really, this honor could go to the entire Nicaraguan pitching staff. Facing long odds, Nicaragua won two 2-1 ballgames and then held the hosts Chinese Taipei – the No. 2 ranked team in the world according to the WBSC – scoreless to advance a perfect 3-0. 

Interestingly, Medrano was the starting pitcher for Spain in the 2022 Qualifier and was on the mound to start against the Czech Republic in that year’s final game. Something tells me he’s in better spirits this time around. 

Medrano pitches against South Africa in the World Baseball Classic Qualifiers. 

6. Yu Chang - Chinese Taipei

Chang always takes it up another level at the World Baseball Classic. After being named to the All-WBC team in 2023, Chang was once again on fire at the plate as he helped Chinese Taipei return for the 2026 tournament. The veteran shortstop was 7-for-18 with four doubles and a home run. Two of those doubles came in the must-win second-place final against Spain. 

7. Jo-Hsi Hsu - Chinese Taipei

While affiliated players Wei-En Lin (A’s) and Po-Yu Chen (Pirates) looked good, American fans likely didn’t need their morning coffee when Hsu took the mound. Standing just 5-foot-10, Hsu lit up radar guns with a fastball that touched 98 mph. Batters looked hopeless against him, as he struck out five in 3 2/3 innings of work. Injuries have kept him off the mound in recent years – his 94 2/3 innings in the CPBL last year were a career-high – but more performances like this should have big league teams calling. 

8. Julio Teheran - Colombia

With reported Minor League and CPBL offers in hand, Teheran was still looking for a contract at the Qualifier. He surely only helped his case. The sinkerballer kept Brazil hitless through five innings, finally giving up a base hit on a bunt single in the sixth. Teheran needed only 54 pitches to pull that off, too, keeping Colombia’s bullpen fresh for the rest of the tourney. 

9. Brayan Buelvas - Colombia

After signing for $100,000 in 2018-19 with the A’s, 2024 was a bit of a comeback for Buelvas. He reached Double-A during the season before tearing up the Colombian Winter League, getting him up to 29th in the A’s system. 

If the Qualifier was any indication, 2025 should see more of the same for the outfielder: Buelvas was 5-for-11 with a double, triple, four RBIs and a stolen base while playing solid center field defense. 

10. Simon Baumgardt - Germany

Germany’s bats went silent at the worst time in the Tucson Qualifier, its 29 strikeouts the most in the Tucson pool. Newcomer Baumgardt, who played as a grad student at Notre Dame last year, was one of the lineup’s bright spots. The second baseman led the team in hits with six while drawing three walks, stealing a base, and driving in two. 

• Yu-Min Lin missed six weeks last year after being struck with a ball while in the dugout. But he bounced back, reached Triple-A before the end of the season and then helped Chinese Taipei win gold at the Premier12. Casey Drottar has the story on how Lin went from nearly quitting the sport to being on the cusp of the Major Leagues. 

• David Matoma, the Pirates’ Ugandan prospect, has broken into the team’s top 30 prospects. He would be the first player from Uganda to play in the Major Leagues. 

• It wasn’t any of the veterans or big leaguers who were leading off for Colombia during its perfect 3-0 run through the World Baseball Classic Qualifiers. It was young 20-year-old Mariners prospect Michael Arroyo penciled in atop the lineup. 

• The Helmig name means a lot in German baseball circles: Claus Helmig was the first German-born player to sign with a Major League team. Martin Helmig is one of the most celebrated players and managers in German baseball. Now, after playing in the Qualifiers for Germany, Lou Helmig is hoping to make good on those Major League dreams. He recently signed a deal with the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks of the American Association. 

• Manny Ramirez’s son, Lucas, just helped Brazil reach the World Baseball Classic. He did it wearing No. 24 for his Dad – even though Manny wished he was wearing No. 99. 

• On a team loaded with professional ballplayers, Osvaldo Carvalho stood out. The DH and utility ballplayer is a construction worker by day, lining up for his local team in Sao Paolo at night. 

• Carvalho isn’t the only Brazilian player with a day job, though: Shortstop Vitor Ito is a translator for the NPB’s Hanshin Tigers. 

ROUNDING THE GLOBE

Screenshot from the new Out of the Park Baseball. As you can see, there are open spots for the Qualifier teams, meaning that you can change the outcome from the last few weeks. 

• Great news for Out of the Park Baseball players: The new game will have a full World Baseball Classic mode! You'll be able to start play in the Qualifiers or pick up a national team in addition to whichever big league club you choose. 

• Eric Balnar, who covers anything and everything in Australian Baseball, and Sydney-based global baseball broadcaster Andrew Reynolds have launched a new podcast with an international focus, Baseball Expats. They were kind enough to have me on for the first episode. Search for them wherever you find podcasts or check them out here for more info. 

• Cool news out of the Czech Republic: Draci Brno, the most successful team in the Extraliga’s history, is now the first Czech team to go professional. 

• The Netherlands recently played two friendlies against Samurai Japan at the Kyocera Dome in Osaka. The hosts made sure to have some Holland favorites on the menu: Apple pie, Dutch fries, and Heineken! 

• Coming off a Caribbean Series win, Albert Pujols is now the new manager for the Dominican Republic national team, too.

• Alessandro Maestri has been named Italy’s new pitching coach. Casey Drottar spoke with him for an in-depth feature last year. 

FRESH DUDS

The Czech Republic national team is in Florida right now playing a series of games against Minor League clubs as they prepare for next year's World Baseball Classic. The team made sure it was looking spiffy on the trip out here: Pitcher Jan Novák designed some new unis featuring a ring of palm trees around the jerseys, with the lion from Czechia's coat of arms on the front. 

The unis will soon be auctioned off with the money going toward the Czech youth teams playing in international competition later this year. 

Willie Escala and Martin Červenka model the new Czech Republic jerseys during Spring Training. Photos by Tomáš Icík.

To subscribe to International Beat, visit this page and mark "International Beat" from our newsletter list.

For tips, hints, or just to talk about international baseball, find me @michaelsclair on X/Twitter and IG or email me at Michael.Clair@MLB.com.

View Online

© 2025 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. MLB trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. Visit MLB.com. Any other marks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners.

Please review our Privacy Policy.

You (michaelsclair@gmail.com) received this message because you registered to receive commercial email messages or purchased a ticket from MLB. 

Please add info@marketing.mlbemail.com to your address book to ensure our messages reach your inbox. If you no longer wish to receive commercial email messages from MLB.com, please unsubscribe or log in and manage your email subscriptions.

Postal Address: MLB.com, c/o MLB Advanced Media, L.P., 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.