According to BeisbolPlay on June 6, Venezuela 2026 World Baseball Classic manager Omar López named Salvador Perez and Jose Altuve captains for the national team that will play from March 6-11 in Miami in Pool D at loanDepot Park and go up against the Netherlands, Nicaragua, Israel, and the Dominican Republic.
¡HABLÓ EL MÁNAGER DE VENEZUELA! ⚾️????????????
Omar López destacó en un live con el equipo de @teambeisbolve quienes se vislumbran como líderes de la Selección de Venezuela para el @wbcbaseball 2026.#QuoteBP #MLB #Beisbol #Venezuela #JoseAltuve #SalvadorPerez #CMB #OmarLopez pic.twitter.com/0A2bzJMwLs
— BeisbolPlay (@beisbolplaycom) June 6, 2025
Altuve has played in the WBC twice, in 2023 and 2017, and Perez has played in three consecutive tournaments since 2013 with Venezuela.
Altuve, 35, from Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, has played with Houston in his 15 seasons in Major League Baseball since the 2011 season and was selected nine times as an All-Star in 2012, 2014-18, 2021-22, and 2024, a two-time World Series champion in 2017 and 2022, won the American League MVP in 2017, was selected once to the All-MLB First Team in 2022, won the ALCS MVP in 2019, won the Gold Glove Award in 2015, won the Silver Slugger Award seven times from 2014-18, 2022, and 2024, won the AL Hank Aaron Award in 2017, led the AL in batting average in 2014 and from 2016-17, and led the AL in stolen bases in 2014 and 2015.
Altuve played in seven games in the 2017 WBC and batted .259/.286/.259 with 27 at-bats, scoring four runs, raking seven hits, one RBI, one walk, and four strikeouts.
During the 2023 WBC, Altuve played in five games with 14 at-bats and hit .214/.450/.286, scoring four runs, three hits, one double, five walks, and five strikeouts.
Last season, Altuve played in 153 games with 682 plate appearances and batted .295, cracking 185 hits, 31 doubles, 20 home runs, 65 RBI, swiping 22 bases, 47 walks, 119 strikeouts, and a .790 OPS.
This season, Altuve has played in 61 games and is hitting .267 with 260 plate appearances, piling up 64 hits, six doubles, nine home runs, 24 RBI, five stolen bases, 17 walks, 45 strikeouts, and a .716 OPS.
Altuve, in his 15 seasons, has played in 1,882 games with 8,302 plate appearances and a lifetime average of .305, cracking 2,296 hits, 437 doubles, 31 triples, 238 home runs, 836 RBI, 320 stolen bases, 617 walks, 1,075 strikeouts, and a .827 OPS.
Perez, 35, from Valencia, Venezuela, has played with Kansas City for 14 seasons from 2011-18 and returned in the 2020 season after missing 2019 with an injury to his elbow during a spring training workout in Surprise, Ariz. An MRI revealed a partial tear of the UCL in his right elbow prior to the start of the year, and he had to undergo Tommy John Surgery.
Perez was selected to the All-Star Game nine times from 2013-18, 2021, and from 2023-24, won a World Series title and was named WS MVP in 2015, was selected twice to the All-MLB First Team from 2020-21, won the Gold Glove Award five times from 2013-16 and 2018, won the Silver Slugger Award five times in 2016, 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2024, won the AL Comeback Player of the Year in 2020, won the Roberto Clemente Award in 2024, and in 2021 was the MLB home run co-leader and led the majors in RBIs.
Perez has hit the most home runs in a single season by any catcher in MLB history, when he accomplished that feat with 48 in the 2021 season.
Perez played in two games of the 2013 WBC and batted .200/.200/.400 in five at-bats, scoring one run, collecting one hit, one double, and striking out once.
In the 2017 event, Perez played in two games and hit .286/.375/.857 with seven at-bats, scoring two runs, two hits, one double, one home run, two RBI, and one walk.
During the 2023 WBC, Perez played in four games and batted .429/.467/.929 with 14 at-bats, scoring five runs, pounding six hits, four doubles, one home run, six RBI, and one strikeout.
Last season, Perez played in 158 games with 652 plate appearances, hitting .271 and posting a 2.5 WAR. He banged out 160 hits, 28 doubles, 27 home runs, 104 RBI, 44 walks, 129 strikeouts, and had a .786 OPS.
This season, Perez has played in 60 games and is batting .232 with 251 plate appearances, teeing off for 55 hits, 16 doubles, four home runs, 29 RBI, 10 walks, 52 strikeouts, and a .618 OPS.
In Perez’s 14 seasons, he has played in 1,612 games with a lifetime average of .266 in 6,514 plate appearances, recording 1,626 hits, 301 doubles, 11 triples, 277 home runs, 945 RBI, six stolen bases, 253 walks, 1,230 strikeouts, and a .756 OPS.
Venezuela Rundown For 2026 WBC
Lopez is currently the bench coach with Houston and will manage Venezuela in the WBC for the second consecutive event.
Venezuela lost 9-7 to the United States in the quarterfinals of the 2023 WBC quarterfinals at loanDepot Park.
The farthest Venezuela has gone in the WBC was when the nation went to the semifinals of the 2009 event and lost 10-2 to South Korea at Dodger Stadium.
Lopez recently led Venezuela to the 2024 Premier12 Super Round at the Tokyo Dome this past November.
Venezuela in the 2024 Premier12 went 5-4 in Pool A and the Super Round and lost 6-1 to the United States in the bronze medal game at the Tokyo Dome on November 24, 2024, prior to Lopez returning back to the Cangrejeros de Santurce to finish managing in the 2024-25 Liga de Béisbol Profesional Roberto Clemente regular season in Puerto Rico.
Lopez was promoted to bench coach for the Astros on December 1, 2023 and was named as their first base coach prior to the start of the 2020 season.
Lopez and Aracelis Leon, the president of the Federación Venezolana de Beisbol will have to evaluate their roster in the coming months, considering key position players such as Willson Contreras, William Contreras, Ronald Acuña Jr., Anthony Santander, Andrés Giménez, Gleyber Torres, Jackson Chourio, Eugenio Suárez, David Peralta, Orlando Arcia, Luis Arráez, Wilmer Flores, Maikel Garcia, Miguel Rojas, Ezequiel Tovar, Francisco Álvarez, Luisangel Acuna, Wilyer Abreu, and Gabriel Moreno.
Venezuela will also have to look into how they can build their starting pitching rotation and bullpen for the 2026 WBC with the likes of Jesus Luzardo, Ranger Suarez, Martin Perez, Eduardo Rodriguez, Edgardo Henriquez, Brusdar Graterol, Jose Ruiz, German Marquez, Jose Butto, Robert Suarez, Jose Alvarado, and Luis Garcia to either return from their last roster from 2023 or play for the first time with the national team this upcoming March.
FEVEBEISBOL will have to scout among other players to be with the Venezuelan national team during the 2025 seasons across other professional leagues in Japan with Nippon Professional Baseball, the Korean Baseball Organization, the Chinese Professional Baseball League in Taiwan, the Liga Mexicana de Béisbol and the 2025-26 Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional season outside the other winter leagues in the Caribbean and Australia in order to build a strong roster for Pool D during the 2026 WBC.
Venezuela is ranked at No. 3 in the World Baseball Rankings that are published by the World Baseball Softball Confederation.
WBC Overview
Japan has won the most WBC championships with three in 2006, 2009, and 2023. The United States won in 2017 and the Dominican Republic won in 2013 and are the only other countries to win the WBC since the event started in 2006.
