This Orioles star could make an international name for himself in World Baseball Classic

Gunnar Henderson has already done the “future face of the league” thing. Now he gets to do the global version.

Team USA confirmed Henderson is on its 2026 World Baseball Classic roster, and it’s his first time stepping into the tournament spotlight. The WBC runs March 5–17, with pool play spread across Tokyo, San Juan, Houston, and Miami before it wraps in Miami. WBC comes with peak intensity, playoff-level atmospheres, and zero room to hide.

Orioles fans might love what the WBC can do for Gunnar Henderson

Baltimore fans already know Gunnar Henderson is a star, and the rest of MLB has caught up by now — but the WBC is where “star” turns into a full-blown problem on an international stage. And it won’t even be the comfortable version of that spotlight.

On a Team USA roster where the dirt is basically wall-to-wall All-Stars — Bobby Witt Jr. included — Henderson might not get the easy “set it and forget it” shortstop job. He could be the chess piece: a few innings at second, a start at third, a late move back to short, then a lineup slot that shifts depending on matchups. That’s the real test in the WBC. Can you stay loud when the role isn’t built around you? If Henderson thrives in that environment, it’s proof that his game translates anywhere.

That context matters because 2025 was already a quiet reminder of how high Henderson’s floor is — even when things aren’t perfect. He played 154 games and hit .274 with 17 home runs, 68 RBIs, 85 runs scored, and a .787 OPS, posting a .349 OBP, .438 slugging, and 4.8 WAR. The power dip from his 2024 level wasn’t a mystery; he spent chunks of the year managing a left shoulder issue, yet still logged 145 games at shortstop (plus eight at DH) and found ways to impact games.

For the Orioles specifically, there’s also a real “best-case spring training” angle here. The WBC is competitive baseball disguised as March baseball. If Henderson is healthy and feels right, those at-bats aren’t empty reps. 

Henderson won’t be the only Oriole on the WBC stage. Pitcher Dean Kremer is set to represent Team Israel, giving Baltimore another thread in the tournament storylines. 

The WBC doesn’t make players better by magic. But it does reveal who’s comfortable when the game gets loud. Henderson has a chance to announce himself internationally the same way he did in Baltimore: by looking completely at home in the chaos.