Jose Mosquera Announced as Colombia Manager For 2026 WBC Qualifiers

Federacion Colombiana de Beisbol journalist Orlando Palma announced on June 15 that Jose Mosquera will manage Team Colombia at the 2026 World Baseball Classic Qualifiers.  

¡ATENCIÓN! José Mosquera ha sido nombrado mánager de Colombia para el Clasificatorio al Clásico Mundial de Béisbol. Mosquera hace parte de los Piratas de Pittsburgh. Es mánager de Caimanes. Fue Campeón de la Serie del Caribe 2022. @Jmosquera28 @Pirates @piratasbeisbol pic.twitter.com/dm0PmQCvmr

— Orlando Palma V. (@pelotacaliente1) June 15, 2024

Mauricio Farid Char Yidi is the president of the Federación Colombiana de Béisbol.  

Mosquera was the Colombian bench coach at the 2023 WBC in Group C at Chase Field in Phoenix, Ariz.   

Colombia went 1-3 at the 2023 WBC, ending with the same record as Great Britain.  

Colombia lost to Great Britain 7-5 and did not own the outright tiebreaker to not be in the field for the 2026 WBC. The Total Quality Balance rule initiated by the World Baseball Softball Confederation due to runs for and runs against was the main reason why Colombia will have to play in the 2026 WBC Qualifiers.  

Great Britain will not have to qualify for the 2026 WBC because it beat Colombia in Pool C in 2023.  

Mosquera helped the 2021-22 Liga Profesional de Béisbol Colombia champions Caimanes de Barranquilla win the 2022 Caribbean Series at Estadio Quisqueya Juan Marichal in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, over the 2021-22 LIDOM champion Gigantes del Cibao in the championship game 4-1 to win the countries first title in the tournament.  

Mosquera helped Colombia win their first gold medal at the 2023 Pan-American Games last October in Cerrillos, Chile, beating Brazil 9-1.  

He has been with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization since he became a scout in 2016.  

“Mosquera has had great international successes; the most striking was to conquer the Caribbean Series 2022. He arrived in the Dominican Republic with a record of 0-10 and was able to get a title that looked unattainable. With a huge plus: beating Dominicana twice in his stadium, against his fans. Likewise, get the Bronze Medal at the WBSC U-23 World Cup in Hermosillo, Mexico, 2021. I believe that he has a great future in the Pittsburgh organization,” Palma told World Baseball Network on June 15.  

Mosquera did not win a game at the 2020 Caribbean Series at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico, with Vaqueros de Montería or in Mazatlan, Mexico, at the 2021 Caribbean Series with Caimanes de Barranquilla at Estadio Teodoro Mariscal prior to the 2022 Caribbean Series.  

The 2020 Caribbean Series was the first year that Colombia played as an invitee at the event.  

Mosquera was a coach for the Dominican Summer League Complex Pirates 2 in 2019 and managed the Toros de Sincelejo during the 2019-20 Liga Profesional de Béisbol Colombia season.  

Mosquera was supposed to manage the 2020 DSL Pirates 2  before the season was canceled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.  

He then managed the DSL Pirates Gold in 2021 and the Florida Complex League Pirates in 2022.  

Mosquera also helped Colombia win the Junior PanAmerican Games in 2021 on home soil, beating the Dominican Republic 6-3 in the gold medal game at Estadio Edgar Renteria in Barranquilla, Colombia.  

2026 WBC Qualifier Sites—According to a report from Luo Huiling on Yahoo News Taiwan on May 22, Taiwan will host some of the 2026 World Baseball Classic qualifiers in February or  March 2025 at the Taipei Dome.  

The report stated that eight teams, including China, would participate in the qualifier, split into two groups of four at two different venues. Yahoo’s report indicated that Tucson, Ariz., would be the other site for the 2026 WBC Qualifiers. 

Estadio Once de Noviembre in Cartagena, Colombia, and Estadio Edgar Renteria in Barranquilla, Colombia, are also possible venues for the 2026 WBC Qualifiers.   

A report from ETToday on April 23 indicated that the 2026 WBC would include 20 countries for the 20th anniversary of the event, though only 16 countries are currently qualified. It further noted that the countries hoping to qualify for the 2026 WBC include China, Nicaragua, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, France, Pakistan, Germany, New Zealand, South Africa, and Chinese Taipei. 

Nicaragua, Chinese Taipei, and China all played in the 2023 World Baseball Classic and finished last in their respective groups, forcing them to qualify for the 2026 event. 

Notebook: Colombia and all the participating countries can bring main players on active rosters on the 40-man or in the minor leagues with MLB organizations and other countries’ professional leagues to play in the 2026 WBC Qualifiers.  

World Baseball Network Q&A With Orlando Palma:  

1. How do you feel about how the roster for Colombia can be built with top prospects and held MLB players during the 2026 WBCQ? 

It means that Colombia is growing in terms of management, I mean coaches and managers. Young people who belong to different organizations work heavily in minor leagues. Thanks to their ability, they are taken into account to occupy these important positions in high-level competition events. 

2. How did you feel about being the bench coach during the 2023 WBC with Jolbert Cabrera at the helm, having so much success in the international landscape, and being with the Pirates organization? 

Mosquera has had great international successes, the most striking was to conquer the Caribbean Series 2022. He arrived in the Dominican Republic with a record of 0-10 and was able to get a title that looked unattainable. With a huge plus: beating Dominicana twice in his stadium, against his fans. Likewise, get the Bronze Medal at the U23 World Cup in Hermosillo, Mexico, in 2021. I believe that he has a great future in the Pirates organization.  

Photo Credit: Jose Mosquera #15 of Team Colombia poses for a photo. (Photo by Barry Gossage/WBCI/MLB Photos via Getty Images)