Outfielder Lucas Ramirez, son of MLB legend Manny Ramirez, will represent Brazil in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. At age 20, he enters as one of the tournament's youngest players, aiming to showcase the country's growing baseball talent. Brazil faces a tough Pool B, opening against the United States.
In a country where soccer reigns supreme—boasting five FIFA World Cup titles and icons like Pelé, Ronaldinho, and Neymar—baseball is steadily gaining ground. For the 2026 World Baseball Classic, Lucas Ramirez is determined to help Brazil compete in Pool B, held in Houston.
Ramirez spoke before Team Brazil's 14-4 exhibition loss to the Athletics at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, Arizona. "Baseball is definitely growing in Brazil, and a lot of other countries as well," he said. "I’m glad to see that baseball is going into countries that are mainly like soccer countries or more into other sports. There’s a lot of good baseball that’s coming from Brazil."
The outfielder's lineage adds intrigue. His father, Manny Ramirez, a 12-time All-Star, hit .312 with 555 home runs over 19 Major League seasons and coached Lucas from childhood. Despite being a natural right-hander like his father, Lucas bats left-handed, a choice Manny encouraged to counter right-handed pitching.
"He just made me a lefty when I was little and I just stuck to it," Lucas explained. "He was my hitting coach my whole life. I didn’t go to anybody else. I just trusted him. I tried to implement some of the stuff he did when he played, just from the left side. Nothing different."
Born in Weston, Florida, to a Brazilian mother from São Paulo, Ramirez wears No. 24 in honor of his father. "It means a lot," he said. "I get to showcase my abilities for Team Brazil and represent her. I’m not only representing Brazil in baseball. I’m representing the whole country and showing love to the culture."
Drafted by the Los Angeles Angels in 2024 from American Heritage High School in Plantation, Florida, Ramirez debuted professionally in 2025, hitting .266 with a .773 OPS and three home runs in 60 games across the ACL Angels and High-A Tri-City.
Brazil's roster includes infielder Dante Bichette Jr., son of former MLB outfielder Dante Sr. and brother of Bo Bichette, and pitcher Joseph Contreras, son of José Contreras. This marks Brazil's second WBC appearance since 2013, with no wins yet. They face the United States, Mexico, Italy, and Great Britain in Pool B, starting Friday at 8 p.m. ET on FOX against the host nation at Daikin Park.
Building momentum, Brazil won silver at the 2023 Pan American Games amid a baseball surge. MLB's Yakult Baseball Training Center in Ibiúna, São Paulo, supports 50 elite Latin American players aged 12-16 with scholarships, housing, education, and training.
"We’re underrated," Ramirez asserted. "A lot of people think [teams] are just going to walk all over us, but nah. We’ve got some power. We’ve got strength. We’re going to fight."
