Wbc Schedule puts 17-year-old Joseph Contreras on a global stage March 6
The wbc schedule hands Brazil a March 6 showdown with the United States in Houston, a game that will spotlight 17-year-old right-hander Joseph Contreras and give scouts Statcast data months before the 2026 MLB draft.
Wbc Schedule: Pool B opens March 6 in Houston
Pool B begins play March 6 in Houston and features Brazil, Great Britain, Italy, Mexico and the United States; Brazil’s first game is March 6 vs. USA at 8 p. m. ET (7 p. m. local). That matchup places a highly ranked prep arm — the 35th-ranked prospect in the 2026 draft — directly against elite major league hitters in a major-league stadium.
Why scouts will watch Contreras in the Brazil–USA game
Contreras is a prep right-hander in Georgia and the son of former big league righty José Contreras, who spent time with the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox, and Joseph’s mother Isabel was born in Brazil — which is why the 17-year-old is on Brazil’s roster for Pool B play on March 6. He is committed to Vanderbilt for next year but is a 35th-ranked draft prospect who could change plans depending on draft money and team interest.
How Contreras looks on the mound and what teams will track
Scouts have tracked Contreras in multiple outings. Over the summer he mostly threw a mid-80s slider but more recently has been showing an 88-91 mph cutter. In a preseason appearance a few weeks ago he opened a game sitting 94-98 mph and touched 99, mixing a changeup and a splitter; one evaluator graded the splitter 65. He stands 6-foot-5, projects as a starter with a clean arm stroke and athletic delivery, but a short stride has limited fastball shape and his command "comes and goes. " Teams will be especially interested in Statcast data from a major-league park, which could sharpen evaluations months before the draft.
Brazil will not be pitching Contreras in isolation: only three arms on the roster pitched in affiliated baseball last season — Eric Pardinho, Daniel Missaki and Gabriel Barbosa — and Missaki logged 74 innings with a 4. 38 ERA in Triple-A last season; Missaki also appeared in the 2013 WBC as a 16-year-old. Enzo Sawayama punched out six in a qualifying game against Germany last March and plays for Yamaha’s company team in Japan, which won that country’s Amateur Baseball Championship last year.
For Contreras, the March 6 game is more than a showcase; it is a concrete evaluation opportunity. Facing the United States in Pool B will pair his mid-90s heater and splitter against top professional hitters and create pitch-tracking output that teams can compare directly with big-league data. A clear performance on March 6 could ease the split within the industry over his projection — whether evaluators lean on his 6-foot-5 frame, arm speed and a standout off-speed pitch or focus on the lack of extension and fastball shape.
The wbc schedule places this Brazil–USA game early in Pool B play, and for Brazil simply competing credibly against the United States and then Great Britain will be key benchmarks for the roster. Pool B action begins March 6 in Houston with Brazil facing the United States at 8 p. m. ET; that game is the next confirmed event on the tournament timeline.
