The Dominican Republic made a historical decision by appointing Albert Pujols as your manager for the World Baseball Classic 2026.
According to Enrique Rojas de ESPN Deportes, the Baseball Legend will assume the command of the national team with the mission of taking it to glory.
Their plethoric debut season as the chosen manager of the chosen allowed them to be champions of the Lidom and the Caribbean series.
Albert Pujols: a baseball icon now on the bench
Pujols, 45, is considered one of the best batters in the history of the majors. In his 22 seasons with the cardinals, angels and dodgers, he left impressive numbers:
- 703 homers (room in the history of the MLB).
- 2,218 ranked races (second of all time).
- 3,384 hits (tenth in the history of the league).
- .296 on average batting and .912 OPS in the CMB 2006.
Among his individual achievements, Pujols was MVP three times, 11 times All-Star, twice world series champion, among other awards.
Success as leader in the winter league
Although many great players fail to stand out as Managers, Pujols has already demonstrated their capacity as a strategist. In his first experience as a leader in the Dominican Professional Baseball League, he took the lions of the chosen to his first title since the 2015-16 season.
Then, in the 2024 Caribbean Series, the championship achieved with the chosen one, beating the charros of Jalisco de México in the final.
A team full of stars for 2026
The Dominican team of the 2026 World Baseball Classic could have an elite roster, with names such as:
- Juan Soto (Mets in New York)
- José Ramírez (Cleveland Guardians)
- Fernando Tatís Jr. (San Diego’s parents)
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (Toronto tiles)
- Ketel Mars (Arizona Diamondback)
- Rafael Devers (Boston Red Sox)
- Manny Machado (parents of San Diego)
- Emmanuel Class (Guardians Close)
Despite the great Dominican talent in the MLB, the team has only won a world classic title, in 2013, when it beat Puerto Rico in the final. In 2023, they were eliminated in the group stage with 2-2 record.
With Albert Pujols in command, Dominican Republic will seek in 2026 its second world championship and consolidate as a power of international baseball.
