All-star first baseman Josh Naylor has been selected as one of the 30 players on Canada’s roster for the upcoming World Baseball Classic, as confirmed by Baseball Canada on Thursday. Naylor, currently playing for the Seattle Mariners in the MLB, previously earned all-star honors in 2024 while with the Cleveland Guardians. His notable performance in 2025 included 20 home runs and 92 RBIs, contributing to both the Guardians and Mariners’ success in reaching the American League Championship Series.
This will mark Naylor’s second appearance in the WBC, representing Mississauga, Ont. He will be accompanied by Tyler O’Neill, a two-time Gold Glove winner from the Baltimore Orioles, hailing from Burnaby, B.C., who is set to participate in his third consecutive WBC tournament. The roster is comprised of 21 players with current or prior Major League experience.
Among the notable additions are 14 players who took part in the previous World Baseball Classic in 2023, such as Phillippe Aumont, Owen Caissie, Denzel Clarke, Indigo Diaz, Edouard Julien, Otto Lopez, Bo Naylor, Tyler O’Neill, Cal Quantrill, Jacob Robson, Noah Skirrow, Abraham Toro, Jared Young, and Rob Zastryzny. Unfortunately, Freddie Freeman of the Los Angeles Dodgers withdrew from the tournament last month citing personal reasons.
Canada is set to compete in Pool A, hosted in San Juan, Puerto Rico, with matches scheduled against Colombia (March 7), Panama (March 8), Puerto Rico (March 10), and Cuba (March 11). The top two teams from Pool A will progress to the quarterfinals in Houston.
