We are less than three weeks away from the World Baseball Classic Qualifiers in Taipei, Taiwan. The four teams—Spain, Nicaragua, Chinese Taipei, and South Africa—will compete from February 21 to 25 to determine which two will advance to the 2026 World Baseball Classic. All four teams have revealed their rosters for the upcoming action. Here is who will be representing Nicaragua.
Pitchers:
- – Kenword Burton
- – Ernesto Glasgon
- – Fidencio Flores
- – Angel Obando
- – Dilmer Mejia
- – Ronald Medrano
- – Carlos Teller
- – Osman Gutierrez
- – Leonardo Crawford
- – Jesus Garrido
- – Yeris Gonzalez
- – Juan Ramirez*
- – Bryan Torres
- – Axel Zapata
Catchers:
- – Rodolfo Boone
- – Ronald Rivera
- – Melvin Novoa
Infielders:
- – Benjamin Alegria
- – Brandon Leyton
- – Emanuel Trujillo
- – Freddy Zamora
- – Cheslor Cuthbert*
- – Elian Miranda
Outfielders:
- – Elian Rayo
- – Jose Orozco
- – Omar Mendoza
- – Cristhian Sandoval
- – Juan Montes
Most of Nicaragua’s roster has experience playing in the country’s Winter league, but several players have also played in the MLB minor leagues. Nicaragua finished 0-4 in its first-ever WBC and will have to qualify for the 2026 WBC.
Nicaragua’s offense features the SDLA MVP Emanuel Trujillo and SDLA All-Star Brandon Leyton. In the SDLA, Trujillo was unstoppable with a slash line of .429/.500/1.190 while recording four home runs and 10 RBIS. Brandon Leyton also had a great tournament, getting on base at least half the time. The offense will not be a problem for Nicaragua, as they feature a ton of good hitters.
The pitching will be a concern, especially after the Tigers blocked Duque Hebbert, Nicaragua’s best pitcher, from pitching. Hebbert is best known for striking out the side against the Dominican Republic in the 2023 WBC. The rest of the team features pitchers who struggled during the SLDA, as most of them ended that tournament with an ERA above four.
For Nicaragua to move on and qualify, they will need to score a lot of runs and create large leads for their pitchers to hold. They do have one of the better offensives in the group, and a second-place finish behind Taiwan is not out of the question.
Fans can watch the World Baseball Classic Qualifiers on Youtube, Facebook, and the WBC’s official website.
