Meet the Athletic Trainers Serving 20 Nations at the 2026 World Baseball Classic
Image courtesy of MLB.com
The World Baseball Classic returns in 2026, and once again the best baseball talent on the planet will gather across four host cities to compete for international glory. Behind every national roster is a team of dedicated medical professionals working around the clock to keep players healthy and performing at their best — and the Professional Baseball Athletic Trainers Society (PBATS) is proud to share the members who have been selected to staff this year’s tournament.
First held in 2006, the World Baseball Classic has grown into one of the premier events on the international sports calendar. Twenty nations will compete across pool play sites in San Juan, Houston, Tokyo, and Miami before the top teams advance to the championship rounds. For the athletic trainers chosen to serve at this event, it is a rare and meaningful opportunity to represent different countries and their profession on a world stage.
PBATS is honored to recognize these professionals and the vital role they play in making the World Baseball Classic possible.
About the tournament, PBATS President Nick Kenney said, “It is truly an honor for any athletic trainer to be selected to work the World Baseball Classic. This is the highest level of international baseball, and to be trusted with the health and performance of these athletes is something every one of these professionals has earned. I could not be more proud of our PBATS members who are representing our organization and our profession on this global stage. This is what we work for.”
2026 WBC Assigned Athletic Trainers by Pool
Below is the complete list of PBATS members assigned to each national team, organized by pool and location.
Pool A – San Juan, Puerto Rico
Canada
- Chris Walsh
- Mike Kozak
- Tommy Craig
Colombia
- David Herrera
- Manny Lopez
- AJ Cano
Cuba
- Michael Salazar
- Roelvis Vargas
Panama
- Kevin Orloski
- Alain Pacheco
- Derrick Diaz
Puerto Rico
- Chris Conroy
- Ray Ramirez
- Jeremiah Randall
Pool B – Houston, Texas
Brazil
- Jennefer Torres
- Aaron Hoback
- Victor Silva
Great Britain
- Ryan Ross
- Jesse Guffey
- Paul Porter
Italy
- Todd Tomczyk
- Ben Potenziano
- JoJo Tarantino
Mexico
- Maritza Castro
- Josh DiLoreto
- Daniel Turner
United States
- Dave Groeschner
- Chris McDonald
- Joe Rauch
Pool C – Tokyo, Japan
Australia
- Kevin Rand
- Chuck Baughman
- Jeff Blum
Chinese Taipei
- Eric Reiglsberger
- Wu Chuan-Hao (Harry)
- Jason Roberts
Czechia
- Steve Gober
- Koki Ikeda
- Sean Cunningham
Japan
- Scott Takao
- Akinori Maeda
- Fumiya Nakata
Korea
- Paul Lessard
- Mark Shires
- Chaerin Yeom
Pool D – Miami, Florida
Dominican Republic
- Wilson Diez
- Jose Alvarez
- Tony Medina
Israel
- Barry Weinberg
- Jeremy Harris
- Max Mahaffey
Netherlands
- Brian Ebel
- Jason Schwartzman
- Herm Schneider
Nicaragua
- Tony Leo
- Kazuma Fukuzumi
- Ruben Santiago
Venezuela
- Tomas Vera
- Julio Ibarra
- Aquiles Torrealba
Congratulations to All Selected Members
PBATS congratulates every athletic trainer named to the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Their dedication, expertise, and professionalism are what make this kind of recognition possible. The athletes they will serve — and the global baseball community — are in good hands.
We wish all competing nations a safe, healthy, and exciting tournament. Play ball.
For more information about PBATS, visit PBATS.com.