Colombia, Brazil, China, Germany battling for two spots in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Qualifiers held March 2-6 in Tucson.
Jair Fernandez, the manager for the Dodgers’ High-A affiliate in Great Lakes, is the hitting coach for Colombia in the upcoming World Baseball Classic qualifiers, which will be played in Tucson from March 2-6.
Colombia, Brazil, China, and Brazil will battle at Kino Veterans Memorial Stadium in Tucson in a round-robin tournament. The two two teams will advance to the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
Fernandez has coached in the Dodgers system since 2017, including a hitting coach for Great Lakes for two years. Since then he’s managed in the Arizona Complex League, Dominican Summer League, and is entering his second season at the helm for the Loons.
The 38-year-old played 10 seasons in the minors as a catcher in the Mariners, Twins, Astros, and Cubs system, and reached as high as Triple-A.
Colombia qualified for the last two World Baseball Classics, and Fernandez was on the team’s coaching staff both times, including as the third base coach in 2023.
Among the players on Colombia’s roster for the WBC qualifiers are Nabil Crismatt, who pitched for the Dodgers in 2024 and is currently a non-roster invitee in Phillies camp, A’s infielder Gio Urshela, and catcher Jorge Alfaro, a non-roster invitee for the Brewers.