The New York Yankees will have plenty of representation in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, and one of those connections, despite never pitching in the MLB for the club, will be the starting pitcher for Mexico against Team USA. That pitcher is Manny Barreda, who was drafted by the Yankees nearly 20 years ago.
“Manny Barreda, 37, who was drafted in the 12th round by the Yankees in 2007 and pitched last season for the Wei Chuan Dragons, will start Monday night for Mexico vs. USA in a critical WBC game,” Bob Nightengale wrote on X (@bnightengale).
Barreda’s only connection to the Yankees comes from that moment, he was selected as a 394th overall pick, behind players who later became MLB All-Stars such as Ryan Pressly and Stephen Vogt. Unfortunately for Barreda, he only appeared within the New York organization at the minor-league level with the Gulf Coast League Yankees.
Barreda coming off a difficult 2025 season
The 2025 season wasn’t Barreda’s best. He hasn’t pitched in MLB since 2021, when he made his debut with the Orioles at age 32. Last year he played for three different teams. In addition to his stint in Taiwan with the Wei Chuan Dragons, where he posted a 3.57 ERA and a 2–2 record across six games, his most notable work came with Saltillo in the Mexican League, where he appeared in 19 games and finished with a 7–4 record and a 6.22 ERA.
“Manny Barreda has been a workhorse of Mexican pitching for many years, but today he’s not the best option available. All the success to him and the national team, but competitively there are two or three pitchers from the LMB and LMP who deserved the call more,” ESPN Deportes’ Eitan Benezra wrote on X (@eitanbenezra).
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Barreda also appeared for Mexico in one game during the 2023 tournament, allowing just one run in a single inning of work. Beyond that, he’s a veteran who has represented Mexico multiple times in the Caribbean Series, where he has produced some of his best results, most recently in the 2023–24 edition, when he pitched in two games and posted a 5.40 ERA.
