The World Baseball Classic has featured some incredibly stacked lineups from the Dominican Republic over the past two decades. Albert Pujols, who’s managing the Dominican team for the first time in this year’s Classic, didn’t hide that pride while speaking about the squad. And judging by the lineup he rolled out during a pair of exhibition games this week, it’s hard to disagree with him. Even veteran MLB insider Ken Rosenthal seems to share that sentiment.

“Their lineup is every bit as dangerous, if not more dangerous, than Team USA’s. And who am I talking about?” Ken Rosenthal said, appearing on the Foul Territory podcast. “I’m talking about Vlad Jr. and Tatis and Manny Machado and Julio Rodriguez and Cattel Marte and Geraldo Perdomo, on and on and on. Overall, this is a team that really can do some things in this tournament because of what they have offensively. So I do like them, and I would think, along with Team USA, they are one of the favorites right now.”

If Pujols sticks with the same lineup he used against Detroit, we could see the Dominican Republic rolling out Fernando Tatis Jr., Ketel Marte, Juan Soto, and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who would occupy the first four spots, setting the tone offensively.

Manny Machado, on the other hand, who spent most of last season hitting third for the San Diego Padres in 150 of 159 games, would slide into the fifth spot. Behind him would be Junior Caminero, who crushed 45 home runs for the Tampa Bay Rays in 2025.

The lineup would then be rounded out by Julio Rodríguez, Agustín Ramírez, and Geraldo Perdomo.

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Against their recent exhibition against the Tigers, the Dominican lineup exploded for 12 runs on 19 hits. That only reinforced their reputation as one of the top contenders in the WBC. But the big question is whether that firepower could really trouble Team USA.

Well, certainly yes.

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was the driving force in the Toronto Blue Jays’ 3-1 series victory over the New York Yankees in the 2025 ALDS. And it’s not just Guerrero Jr. In May 2025, Machado delivered a clutch two-run double that helped the Padres edge the Yankees 4–3.

Put it all together, and the Dominican Republic clearly has contending offensive firepower. And with a solid pitching staff to back it up, they could easily give Team USA a serious run for their money.

The Dominican Republic’s pitching also deserves a shoutout

While the Dominican Republic’s star-studded offense gets most of the attention, its pitching isn’t far behind. In fact, unlike previous years when pitching depth was considered a weakness, the 2026 staff looks seriously loaded.

The rotation is expected to be led by Sandy Alcántara along with Cristopher Sánchez. That duo could be the Dominican Republic’s best chance to match up against the firepower of Team USA’s aces like Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal.

Yes, that may sound outrageous, but reality could be different. Sánchez is coming off a breakout 2025 season where he posted an impressive 2.50 ERA. Then, Alcántara proved himself in the second half, finishing that stretch with a 3.33 ERA.

And the bullpen is just as intimidating. The Dominican relief unit includes Carlos Estévez, who led the American League in saves in 2025. He’s backed by a deep group featuring Camilo Doval, Abner Uribe, Gregory Soto, and Seranthony Domínguez.

So it’s not just the lineup packed with star power, but the pitching staff has plenty of big names as well. That combination is exactly why the Dominican Republic is widely viewed as one of the top favorites, right alongside Japan and the USA, to win the WBC.