Germany’s World Baseball Classic Qualifiers Roster

We are less than three weeks away from the World Baseball Classic Qualifiers in Tucson, Arizona. The four teams—Colombia, China, Germany, and Brazil to 6 to determine which two will advance—will compete from March 2-6 to see which two teams will move ahead to the 2026 World Baseball Classic. All four teams have revealed their rosters for the upcoming action. Here is who will represent Germany.

Pitchers:

• –  Jaden Agassi
• –  Joe Cedano de Leon
• –  Jake Gilbert
• –  Marcel Giraud
• –  Simon Gross
• –  Mark Harrison
• –  Sascha Koch
• –  Jordan Martinson
• –  Christian Pedrol
• –  Niklas Rimmel
• –  Sven Schueller
• –  Markus Solbach
• –  Tommy Sommer
• –  Duke Von Schamann
• –  Nick Wittgren*

Catchers:

• –  Vincent Ahrens
• –  Yannic Walther

Infielders:

• –  Simon Baeumer
• –  Simon Baumgardt
• –  Finn Bergmann
• –  Eric Brenk
• –  Tristian Russell
• –  Alex Schmidt

Outfielders:

• –  Lucas Dunn
• –  Lou Helmig
• –  Shawn Larry
• –  Donald Lutz*
• –  Luca Rammelmann

Only two players listed on Germany’s roster have experience playing at the MLB level. Several players on their squad have experience playing professionally in Germany, independent leagues, and at the NCAA level. Jendrick Speer will manage Germany, with Maurice Wilhelm as bench coach. Alexander Baham serves as hitting coach, Clemens Cichocki as pitching coach, Mike Bolsenbrock as their bullpen coach. Octavio Medina will serve as an infield coach, while Maurice Bendrien will serve as Germany’s bullpen catcher.

Markus Solbach is likely to lead Germany’s rotation. He has pitched on previous Qualifying teams for Germany, and the 33-year-old is back once again. Solbach has pitched in several organizations throughout the minor leagues, beginning his career in 2011 in the Twins organization, and spent until 2022 pitching between the Diamondbacks, Dodgers, and Tigers affiliates. He last pitched in the minor leagues during the 2022 season in the Tigers organization, going 4-5 with a 4.01 ERA in 17 starts, striking out 71 batters over 74 innings pitched.

Their lineup will be intriguing to watch, with 36-year-old Donald Lutz as the leader of Germany. Lutz made his MLB debut with the Cincinnati Reds in 2013 and would play there until the 2014 season. Across 62 games at the big league level, Lutz hit for a .211 batting average, hitting one home run and driving in nine RBIs. He suited up with the Brisbane Bandits this winter in the Australian Baseball League, playing in 14 games, driving in three RBIs, and hitting for a .194 average.

Catcher Yannic Walther is the only player currently affiliated with an MLB organization. Born in Heidelberg, Germany, he began his career with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2023. For 2024, Walther played with the ACL Brewers, where in 16 games, he hit for a .182 average, with just two RBIs.

They will have an MLB veteran in their bullpen with Nick Wittgren. Wittgren made his MLB debut in 2016 with the Miami Marlins and has pitched in the Guardians, Cardinals, and Royals organizations. He last appeared in the MLB in 2023, where he spent 2024 pitching with the Twins Triple-A affiliate. In 35 games at the Triple-A level, Wittgren went 1-2, with a 5.88 ERA, striking out 48 batters across 52 innings. He also pitched this winter in LIDOM with the Aguilas Cibaenas, posting a 2.25 ERA in 11 games, striking out two batters in eight innings of work.

Another pitcher to keep tabs on will be Jaden Agassi. Agassi is the son of tennis power couple Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf. The 23-year-old pitched at the University of Southern California from 2021-2023. In 2024, Agassi pitched with the Mahoning Valley Scrappers in the MLB Draft League. He made six starts, going 1-1 with a 2.96 ERA, striking out 28 batters and walking 15 in 27.1 innings.

Germany’s first WBC Qualifiers game will be on March 2, when they face China. Following that, they will play Brazil and Colombia, as two teams will be able to move on for a shot to compete at the 2026 World Baseball Classic.