On March 17, after a wild two week tournament, Team Venezuela celebrated a well-deserved World Baseball Classic win. Three Boston Red Sox — Wilyer Abreu, Willson Contreras and Ranger Suárez — played for the championship team and their emotions were palpable as they and their country celebrated its first win in an international athletic competition since the 1940s.
All the while, key moments of the WBC played back in fans' heads. From shutdown innings to game-changing homers, Red Sox players were at the forefront of many of those moments. On Fox's championship broadcast, announcer Joe Davis said it best: "No matter who wins the World Baseball Classic, the Boston Red Sox have won the World Baseball Classic."
Sixteen Red Sox appeared in the WBC and many performed exceedingly well on a high-pressure, international stage. A fair few of them flashed the star power it was said Boston would miss after trading Rafael Devers and letting Alex Bregman walk to sign with the Chicago Cubs.
The Red Sox's outfield was incredibly well represented in the WBC. Jarren Duran has already established himself as something of a star in MLB after he earned his first All-Star nomination and MVP votes during the 2024 season, but he took a serious step back on both sides of the ball in 2025.
The World Baseball Classic showed the Red Sox have no shortage of 'star power'
If his WBC performance is any indication, he could be back to the best version of himself — he logged five hits, three of them homers, and five runs with five RBI and two stolen bases over four games with Team Mexico.
Abreu also had an outstanding tournament for Venezuela. He posted six hits, including two go-ahead, game-changing home runs, two runs and seven RBI over seven games. He also played his usual, Gold Glove-caliber defense.
Despite logging the final out of the tournament, Roman Anthony established himself as one of the most talented young players in MLB. He posted seven hits, two of them homers, five runs and seven RBI after starting all seven WBC games for Team USA at just 21 years old, which earned him All World Baseball Classic Team honors. Veteran players on Team USA lauded him for his maturity, composure and raw talent at his young age, and he's already growing into a face of the Red Sox franchise.
Other Sox players also played well in the tournament, like Masataka Yoshida and Brayan Bello, but Abreu, Anthony and Duran embody some of the star power that Red Sox fans believed they'd lost. None of them will fully replace Bregman or Devers, since they play different positions and (for now) have less experience, but they don't need to be replacements when they're incredibly talented in their own ways.
Red Sox players put on a show in the WBC and showed teams around MLB that they shouldn't be underestimated despite their youth or perceived lack of power. Boston may not have many established, veteran stars on its roster, but a few players are well on their way.