If success at the World Baseball Classic can be treated as a gauge of the state of baseball in a country, then baseball in Canada is in a very good place.
Canada won Pool A at this year’s tournament, advancing to the knockout stage for the first time in the country’s history.
The Canadian team then battled to the end against a tournament favourite in the United States in the quarter-final round, losing by a narrow margin of 5-3.
At the MLB level, 22 Canadians made an appearance in the majors in 2025. While the record for most Canadians to make an appearance in a single MLB season still stands at 26 (set in 2011), the number of Canadians knocking on the door in the minors could threaten that mark sooner rather than later.
There are Canadians in the majors that can deliver MVP-level play at the dish and in the field. Here are just a few to keep an eye on in 2026.
Tyler Black - Util, Milwaukee Brewers
Hometown: Toronto
2025 Stats: 5 games, 0 HR, 1 RBI, .913 OPS
Black has had two abbreviated stints in the majors over the past two seasons, and the son of Canadian broadcasting legend Rod Black had a torrid start to Spring Training. In four games before departing for the World Baseball Classic to play for Canada, Black went 8-for-12 with four extra-base hits and a 1.942 OPS.
There’s no denying that he can hit for power, but the 25-year-old knows he has work to do in the field and as an overall hitter if he’s going to stick in his third try at the major-league level.
“It’s been a really small sample, and the biggest thing for me is not looking too much into it,” Black said late in February. “It’s tough being up and down a lot of times, for a lot of guys. But I’m continuing to show up with my process. Get better every year and learn ... I’m learning, for sure.”
Brewers manager Pat Murphy knows Black is close too. “[He] has enough power to be an everyday player, there’s no doubt,” Murphy said to reporters in February. “But how that comes out, it’s all about how he develops as a hitter. We [know] he has it in there.”
Black went 1-for-10 with two runs scored and two runs batted in across four games at the WBC.
Owen Caissie - OF, Miami Marlins
Hometown: Burlington, Ont.
2025 Stats: 4 games, 1 HR, 4 RBI, .568 OPS
Caissie entered the 2025 season as the No. 54 prospect on MLB Pipeline, and got a brief shot in the majors with the Chicago Cubs late in the year before he was traded to the Marlins in the off-season.
The 23-year-old Caissie is the No. 42 prospect on MLB Pipeline entering this season after hitting 22 home runs with an OPS of .937 in Triple-A Iowa a year ago.
Caissie was a force in Canada’s lineup at the WBC, where he hit 7-for-17 with three doubles, a homer and five runs batted in. He finished with an OPS of 1.241.
Caissie figures to get a long runway with the Marlins this season as the top prospect in the system. He has a chance to be a dangerous hitter in the Marlins lineup on top of a strong glove in the outfield.
Denzel Clarke - OF, Athletics
Hometown: Toronto
2025 Stats: 47 games, 3 HR, 8 RBI, .646 OPS
Clarke made his MLB debut for the Athletics in May last season, and delivered on the hype around his glove almost immediately. The 25-year-old made multiple highlight-reel catches in centre for the Athletics before an adductor strain cost him the final 61 games of the season.
The glove will play in centre for Clarke, but the question regarding his long-term future in the majors is whether he can be productive enough in the batter’s box.
Clarke walked just six times against 61 strikeouts in 159 plate appearances in 2025. His walk rate (3.8 per cent) was less than half the average hitter in the majors, and his strikeout rate (38.4 per cent) was almost double the league average - both of those numbers will need to be improved upon.
It was more of the same at the WBC for Clarke, who struck out five times in 16 at-bats and finished his tournament slashing .188/.222/.188 in five games.
Freddie Freeman - 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers
Hometown: Villa Park, Calif.
2025 Stats: 147 games, 24 HR, 90 RBI, .869 OPS
Born in California to Canadian parents, Freddie Freeman has represented Canada at the WBC twice in his career - though he declined to represent the country at this year’s tournament, citing personal reasons.
Freeman is one of the most accomplished Canadians in MLB history, ranking second all-time among Canadians in home runs (367), first in runs batted in (1,322) and third in OPS (.897) among players to have taken more than 100 at-bats.
A three-time World Series champion, former MVP and former World Series MVP, Freeman is looking for his third consecutive title as a member of the loaded Dodgers this season.
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. - 1B, Toronto Blue Jays
Hometown: Montreal
2025 Stats: 156 games, 23 HR, 84 RBI, .848 OPS
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. was born in Montreal while his father, Vladimir Guerrero, was playing for the Expos as part of his Hall-of-Fame career. Guerrero represented the Dominican Republic, where he was raised, at this year’s WBC.
Guerrero signed the biggest deal in Blue Jays history in April in 2025, for $500 million over 14 years. His regular-season stats ended up a bit behind expectations for this point in his career – he hit the fewest home runs in a full season since his rookie campaign.
But Guerrero ascended to a new level in the playoffs in one of the greatest postseason performances in MLB history. Guerrero was named ALCS MVP and was a driving force behind Toronto’s trip to Game 7 of the World Series, as he hit .397 with eight home runs and 15 RBI over 18 games in the postseason with an astronomical 1.289 OPS.
If Guerrero can carry that performance over to the regular season, the five-time All-Star is likely to be an MVP favourite and the Blue Jays have every chance to return to the World Series again.
Liam Hicks - C, Miami Marlins
Hometown: Toronto
2025 Stats: 119 games, 6 HR, 45 RBI, .693 OPS
Hicks is one of three Canadians expected to play significant time for the Marlins in 2026, alongside Caissie and infielder Otto Lopez.
It remains to be seen what Hicks’ ceiling might be in the majors - he has a great feel for the strike zone, with an 80th percentile walk rate and 87th percentile strikeout rate, per Statcast, but his average exit velocity of 84.6 mph was among the worst in the league.
Add to that his middling defensive capabilities, and it is hard to see a path where he takes the top spot on the depth chart from fellow youngster Agustin Ramirez, who made 71 starts at catcher against 49 for Hicks and has an exciting skillset in the batter’s box for his age.
Hicks played in one game at the WBC, where he went 0-for-3.
Edouard Julien - INF, Colorado Rockies
Hometown: Quebec City, Que.
2025 Stats: 64 games, 3 HR, 12 RBI, .633 OPS
Julien tantalized evaluators in the minors with his eye for the ball and patience at the plate - in three seasons at Triple-A, the 27-year-old held an on-base percentage of .413 over 157 games.
However, as it became clear to the Minnesota Twins last season, major-league pitchers can hit their spots consistently enough that a hitter needs to be able to make strong contact to succeed, and Julien was not able to do that.
Despite an elite chase rate - Julien swung at pitches outside of the zone just 19.2 per cent of the time, per Statcast - the lefty hitter couldn’t make consistent enough contact on pitches in the zone, and his batting average finished at .220.
Julien gets a chance to reset with the Colorado Rockies this year, but his numbers at the WBC did not inspire confidence: a .158 batting average with eight strikeouts in five games.
Otto Lopez - 2B, Miami Marlins
Hometown: Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
2025 Stats: 143 games, 15 HR, 77 RBI, .672 OPS
Despite being born in the Dominican Republic, Lopez grew up in Montreal after his dad immigrated to take a teaching job in the city. Lopez has represented Canada at the WBC twice, including in 2026, where he hit .263 in five games and knocking in two runs.
Lopez was quietly one of the most productive hitters on the Marlins in 2025 - he was worth 3.5 Wins Above Replacement, per baseball reference - second on the team behind Kyle Stowers.
Lopez is a versatile fielder that can made appearances at second, third, shortstop and the outfield in his four years in the majors.
He set a new career high in home runs with 15 in 2025, and at age 27, has a chance to be an impact player if he can continue to improve his hitting.
Bo Naylor - C, Cleveland Guardians
Hometown: Mississauga, Ont.
2025 Stats: 123 games, 14 HR, 47 RBI, .661 OPS
The middle of the Naylor brothers, Bo is entrenched as the starting catcher for the Guardians and has played in 13 postseason games over the past two campaigns.
The lefty-hitting catcher has good plate discipline and solid power at the plate, but his true value to teams is defensively, where he’s accrued more than 1.0 dWAR per Baseball Reference in consecutive seasons.
Naylor had an encouraging performance at this year’s WBC, hitting .353 with a home run and four RBI. He only struck out once over 17 plate appearances.
Josh Naylor - 1B, Seattle Mariners
Hometown: Mississauga, Ont.
2025 Stats: 147 games, 20 HR, 92 RBI, .816 OPS
The eldest Naylor brother, 28-year-old Josh is the star of the three and was rewarded with a five-year deal worth $92 million after a strong season with the Mariners in 2025.
Naylor joined the Mariners at the trade deadline and hit .299 for them in 54 games, helping the team secure the AL West division title. He went a perfect 19-for-19 in stolen bases with the Mariners, finishing the year with 30 - by far a career high.
Naylor was a force in the postseason, hitting three home runs in the ALCS against the Toronto Blue Jays and finishing with a .340 batting average over 12 postseason games. He hit just .200 in the WBC this year, his second time representing Canada at the tournament.
Naylor is a legitimate star with an ability to hit for power, hit for average and steal bases with the best of them.
Tyler O’Neill - OF, Baltimore Orioles
Hometown: Burnaby, B.C.
2025 Stats: 54 games, 9 HR, 26 RBI, .684 OPS
Three separate trips to the Injured List for three separate ailments made 2025 an essentially lost season for the 30-year-old outfielder from Burnaby. O’Neill struggled to hit consistently in his first season in Baltimore, ultimately finishing with a .199 batting average.
It was a difficult campaign for O’Neill after seemingly finding his form in 2024, where he hit 31 home runs for the Boston Red Sox.
O’Neill went 3-for-18 at the WBC, but had five walks against just four strikeouts with a stolen base and two RBI.
At his best, O’Neill is a dangerous right-handed bat that has 30-plus homer power and is a two-time Gold Glover in left field. The challenge for O’Neill is staying on the field - the ninth-year pro has played more than 100 games in a season just twice in his first eight seasons.
Tristan Peters - OF, Chicago White Sox
Hometown: Winkler, Man.
2025 Stats: 4 games, 0 HR, 0 RBI, .000 OPS
Tristan Peters made his MLB debut in August last season for the Tampa Bay Rays, and had a rough four-game stretch before he was sent back down to the minors. Peters went hitless in 12 at-bats, striking out in seven of them.
Peters was waived in the off-season and purchased by the White Sox - which may provide an opportunity for the 26-year-old to find some more at-bats in the big leagues.
In 136 games at Triple-A in 2025, Peters hit .266 with 15 home runs and 76 RBI.
Abraham Toro - INF, Kansas City Royals
Hometown: Longueuil, Que.
2025 Stats: 77 games, 7 HR, 27 RBI, .659 OPS
A veteran of seven MLB seasons, Abraham Toro enters his eighth campaign with his sixth different team.
Toro is a versatile fielder, but has never produced consistently at the plate. He made 67 starts with the Red Sox in 2025, but also made 51 starts in the minors as he could not hold on to a roster spot with the major-league club.
That has been the story through much of Toro’s career - since making his major-league debut in 2019, Toro has played at least 17 games in the minors every season since then, outside of 2024.
Toro was one of the most productive hitters for Canada at the WBC, helping the team reach the knockout stage after leading in batting average (.421), OPS (1.318) and RBI (5).
Jared Young - Util, New York Mets
Hometown: Prince George, B.C.
2025 Stats: 22 games, 4 HR, 6 RBI, .722 OPS
The 30-year-old Jared Young was excellent in Triple-A with the Mets a season ago, but struggled to produce in the majors.
The fourth-year pro has had three separate tries at the major-league level in his career, and all three lasted fewer than 25 games.
Young went 1-for-6 with three strikeouts at the WBC for Canada this year. After putting up an OPS over .900 each of the past two seasons at Triple-A, Young has the chance to secure a roster spot with the Mets if he can maintain comparable production with the club.
Other Canadians to keep an eye on:
Dasan Brown (TOR, OF, Triple-A), Charles Leblanc (ATL, INF, Triple-A), David McCabe (ATL, 3B, Triple-A), Matt Lloyd (STL, OF, Triple-A), Nicolas Deschamps (TOR, C, Double-A), Bryce Arnold (TOR, SS, High-A), Konner Piotto (TEX, C, Triple-A), Matt Davidson (Free agent, INF, KBO)
