Excitement is brewing as the 2026 World Baseball Classic approaches, kicking off on March 5, and this year, several former high school baseball stars from New Jersey are making their mark on the international stage. Let’s take a closer look at the talented players representing New Jersey in this prestigious tournament.
Team Israel
Rob Kaminsky
High School: St. Joseph (Mont.)
Current MLB Team: Free Agent
2025 Statistics: 17.2 innings pitched, 5.60 ERA, win-loss record of 0-3, 2.208 WHIP while with Staten Island.
Kaminsky had a busy season in 2025, playing for multiple teams. He made one appearance with the Memphis Redbirds, the Triple-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals, two games with the Florida Complex League Cardinals, and six outings for the Staten Island FerryHawks in the Atlantic League. This 31-year-old athlete was drafted by the Cardinals in the first round, being the 28th pick overall in 2013, right out of St. Joseph (Mont.). In his senior year, he threw an impressive 64 innings, striking out 128 batters and allowing just a single earned run, finishing with a perfect 9-0 record. His remarkable talents have earned him the title of NJ.com Player of the Year twice.
Jason Marquis (COACH)
Originating from Staten Island, New York, Marquis has strong ties to New Jersey. He serves as an assistant coach at Middletown South, where he played a pivotal role in guiding the Eagles to a 15-11 record last spring. Over his 15-season MLB career, he showcased his skills with nine different teams, achieving a career ERA of 4.61 and a record of 124 wins to 118 losses, along with 1,174 strikeouts. He will take on the role of pitching coach for Team Israel during the World Baseball Classic.
Team Italy
Kyle Teel
High School: Mahwah
Current MLB Team: Chicago White Sox
2025 Statistics: .273 batting average, 8 home runs, 35 RBIs, 11 doubles, .786 OPS.
Teel, a Mahwah graduate from the class of 2020, earned recognition as a Second-Team All-State player while excelling as a shortstop in 2019. He was honored as the New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year in 2020 and secured First-Team All-State accolades. Selected 14th overall by the Boston Red Sox in the 2023 MLB Draft, Teel made his MLB debut on June 6, 2025, where he impressively recorded his first hit in just his second at-bat.
Gordon Graceffo
High School: Cranford
Current MLB Team: St. Louis Cardinals
2025 Statistics: 43 innings pitched, 3 wins, 1 loss, 6.28 ERA, 40 strikeouts, 1.47 WHIP.
Graceffo, who made his MLB debut in the 2024 season, appeared in 26 games in 2025 after a stellar high school career at Cranford, where he pitched just under 175 innings and struck out 128 batters before graduating in 2018. The Cardinals selected him in the fifth round of the 2021 MLB Draft, coming out of Villanova University.
Ron Marinaccio
High School: Toms River North
Current MLB Team: San Diego Padres
2025 Statistics: 10.2 innings pitched, 0.84 ERA, 12 strikeouts, 0.938 WHIP.
Marinaccio embarked on his MLB journey at age 26 in the Bronx. After being designated for assignment by the Yankees in September 2024 following nearly three seasons with the team, he was claimed by the White Sox but did not play with them. In 2025, he joined the San Diego Padres, participating in seven games.
Andrew Fischer
High School: Wall
Current Team: University of Tennessee/Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (A+)
2025 Statistics: Played 65 games with a .341 average, 74 hits, 70 runs, 25 home runs, 65 RBIs, and a stellar 1.227 OPS with Tennessee; 19 games with a .311 average, 1 home run, 10 RBIs, and 8 runs.
Fischer was recognized as a Second-Team All-State player during his senior year at Wall in 2022, where he achieved an impressive .382 batting average with 22 runs and 27 RBIs over 76 at-bats. He excelled at the University of Tennessee, hitting .307 with 155 runs, 155 RBIs, and 56 home runs across 167 games. The Milwaukee Brewers drafted him in the first round, taking him 20th overall in the 2025 draft and he concluded the season with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers in the Midwest League.
