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10 Detroit Tigers make 2026 World Baseball Classic rosters
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- 10 Detroit Tigers make 2026 World Baseball Classic rosters
The Detroit Tigers will be represented by 10 players in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
The official rosters for the sixth edition of the 20-team international baseball tournament were released Thursday, Feb. 5. The United States lost to Japan in the 2023 WBC championship to finish second.
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The 2026 WBC runs from March 5-17.
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Gleyber Torres of Team Venezuela runs to first base against Team Israel during the ninth inning in a World Baseball Classic Pool D game at loanDepot park on March 15, 2023 in Miami.
The 10 participants from the Tigers: infielder Hao-Yu Lee (Chinese Taipei), right-hander Carlos Lequerica (Israel), right-hander Woo-Suk Go (Korea), left fielder Jahmai Jones (Korea), right-hander Kenley Jansen (Netherlands), right-hander Duque Hebbert (Nicaragua), left-hander Tarik Skubal (United States), left-hander Enmanuel De Jesus (Venezuela), right-hander Keider Montero (Venezuela) and second baseman Gleyber Torres (Venezuela).
Several Tigers coaches will be involved, as well.
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From the Tigers' MLB coaching staff, bench coach George Lombard will serve as the first-base coach for Team USA, while third-base coach Joey Cora will be in the same role for Team Puerto Rico and assistant pitching coach Juan Nieves will be the bullpen coach for Team Puerto Rico.
Additionally, Miguel Cabrera – a special assistant in the Tigers' front office – will be the hitting coach for Team Venezuela, with pitching coordinator Jorge Córdova serving as the bullpen coach.
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Cabrera, who turns 43 in mid-April, is the only player to appear in at least one game during the first five WBC tournaments, doing so for Team Venezuela in 2006 (seventh place), 2009 (fourth place), 2013 (10th place), 2017 (eighth place) and 2023 (fifth place).
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He retired from his Hall of Fame-caliber playing career after the 2023 season.
"That's it for Miggy," Team Venezuela manager Omar López said Dec. 9 at MLB's Winter Meetings. "He's done playing baseball. Now, it's about time to start coaching. I think it's going to be a great experience and a great opportunity for him."
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The 2026 WBC features four pools.
Pool A:Puerto Rico, Panama, Cuba, Canada, Colombia.
Pool B:United States, Mexico, Italy, Great Britain, Brazil.
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Pool C:Japan, South Korea, Australia, Czechia, Chinese Taipei.
Pool D:Venezuela, Netherlands, Dominican Republic, Israel, Nicaragua.
Pool A will play games in San Juan; Pool B in Houston ; Pool C in Tokyo; Pool D in Miami .
The knockout stage of the tournament will feature the top two teams from each of the four round-robin pools, bringing together eight teams in the single-elimination quarterfinals. For those games, the Pool A and Pool B teams will play in Houston, while the Pool C and Pool D teams will play in Miami.
The semifinals and finals will take place in Miami.
Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or follow him @EvanPetzold .
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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Tigers players on 2026 World Baseball Classic rosters
