The 2026 World Baseball Classic is set to begin on Thursday. There are a handful of very good teams in this tournament, with the USA, Japan, and Dominican Republic as the favorites. Aaron Judge and Team USA are the betting favorite to win the 2026 WBC. However, that does not mean that they will win it all. There could be some teams that shock others and find themselves contending for the title.
One dark horse team that could shock the baseball world is the Netherlands. This is a team with some proven MLB talent on it, and they play in arguably the toughest group in the tournament. The Netherlands are in Group D with the DR, Venezuela, Israel, and Nicaragua. The top two teams in the group make the knockout stages, so the Dutch would have to upset one of Venezuela or the Dominican Republic to see themselves through. This team is more than capable of getting the job done.
On Tuesday, ahead of the WBC, Atlanta Braves and Team Netherlands outfielder Jurickson Profar was suspended for PEDs for the second time. He will miss all 162 games played for the 2026 season. Profar is appealing the suspension, but isn't likely to win. He will not play in the World Baseball Classic as a result of this suspension.
Why the Netherlands is a dark horse team that can shock entire MLB world
The Dutch, Aruban, and Curaçaoan players leading the way are Xander Bogaerts, Ozzie Albies, Ceddanne Rafaela, Kenley Jansen, Drew Jones, and former New York Yankee Didi Gregorius. The manager of the team is Drew Jones' father, and MLB Hall of Famer, Andrew Jones. This team is going to be well coached ready to make a statement.
Former MLB player Jonathan Schoop, who has played for the Netherlands in the past, has a younger brother on the team as well. Sharlon Schoop has been on this roster in the past and will be playing alongside Juremi Profar, younger brother of Jurickson.
On Tuesday, the Netherlands defeated the Baltimore Orioles in an exhibition game by the score of 8-5. This is what the Netherlands lineup looked like.
- Ray-Patrick Didder LF
- Caddanne Rafaela CF
- Xander Bogaerts SS
- Ozzie Albies 2B
- Didi Gregorius 3B
- Hendrik Clementina DH
- Sharlon Schoop 1B
- Chadwick Tromp C
- Drew Jones RF
Didder went 3-5 with a solo home run to begin the game and had three total runs scored. Rafaela went 2-5, including a 3-run homer, ending with five RBIs total. Bogaerts finished 1-4 with a single, and Albies had a solo blast in the second inning. Gregorius and Clementina combined for five hits as well. They put on a great display against the Orioles' pitching staff. Trevor Rogers started the game for Baltimore and is coming off a very good 2025 season. Nobody expected them to have the game they had on Tuesday.
Kenley Jansen did not pitch in this game, but could on Wednesday. Jansen is the only notable pitcher on the team and is expected to be the team's closer. The lack of experienced pitching will be what hurts this team. It is a good thing there is an expereienced infield to help with the pitching mistakes and hard-hit balls.
The Netherlands will take on the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday before heading to Miami for their run in Group D.
This team is more than capable of upsetting one of the two favorites in the group, and they need to take care of business against Israel and Nicaragua. If that happens and they move on, anything can happen in the KO stages.
