World Baseball Classic 2026: Building the dream roster for Team USA
(This article was written with the assistance of Castmagic, an AI tool, and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy. Please reach out to us if you notice any mistakes.)
On the latest episode of "Baseball Bar-B-Cast," Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman officially kicked off their 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) content. With Aaron Judge recently named captain of Team USA, the duo couldn't resist diving into one of their favorite pastimes: dreaming up the most stacked, no-holds-barred Team USA rosters imaginable.
Advertisement
Here are the rules:
30-man roster: Standard for the WBC
At least 14 pitchers and two (or three) catchers: Jake and Jordan opted for three catchers, as Team USA had in 2023.
'Dream' means optimistic: This draft leans on hopeful speculation. Expect a few wishful leaps.
Let's break down the hosts' picks, debates and a few wild cards.
Catcher
Cal Raleigh and Adley Rutschman were locks for Shusterman and Mintz.
For the third spot, Jake went with defensive ace Patrick Bailey, while Jordan zagged and picked Austin Hedges for his veteran prowess, admitting that the main weakness is if Hedges has to hit.
First base
Bryce Harper and Pete Alonso took the spots, with both hosts agreeing that Harper's defense makes him the starter.
Matt Olson got a shout-out as the toughest cut, and Freddie Freeman's Canadian allegiance meant he wasn't eligible.
Second base
Mookie Betts: Pure star power and versatility won out. Both hosts took him at second.
Shortstop
Bobby Witt Jr. was the hosts' consensus starting shortstop.
Mintz picked Gunnar Henderson as his backup (and starting third-base option).
Shusterman chose Corey Seager, citing his big-game track record.
Third base
Shusterman stuck up for Matt Chapman's defensive wizardry.
Mintz gave the hot corner to Alex Bregman.
Both said they would happily stash Austin Riley or Gunnar Henderson on the bench, with Riley earning the 'toughest cut' label.
Utility
Mintz lobbied to get Tommy Edman (despite his playing for Team Korea previously) as his roster's super-utility guy.
Outfield
The locks were Aaron Judge (the captain!), Mike Trout, Kyle Tucker and Corbin Carroll.
Kyle Schwarber made Mintz's team as a DH/OF bench bat.
Center-field defense came up as a need. Mintz filled that with Corbin Carroll, and Jackson Merrill was a tough cut.
Mintz included Pete Crow-Armstrong as the 2026 'Bobby Witt Jr.' of outfielders: a blazing baserunner and elite defender, on the team to pinch run and patrol center field in the late innings but not swing the bat.
Starting pitching
The hardest part of this is that elite pitchers rarely all say yes to the WBC. But it's a dream roster, so the hosts shot for the stars.
Locks: Tarik Skubal, Paul Skenes, Garrett Crochet, Zack Wheeler, Hunter Greene
Contenders: Logan Gilbert (Shusterman's pick), Spencer Strider (Mintz's 'duh' addition), Corbin Burnes, Michael King, Logan Webb, Dylan Cease, Cole Ragans and Jacob deGrom (on a 'pray he's healthy' basis)
Relievers
Locks: Ryan Helsley, Josh Hader, Tanner Scott, Mason Miller and Kirby Yates
Contenders: Mason Montgomery, Tyler Rogers, Griffin Jax, Ryan Walker, Tyler Holton and a few others garnered enthusiastic discussion due to their versatility or unique arm angles.
Devin Williams was dubbed a 'should be a lock, but …' after his recent wildness.
Honorable mentions & toughest cuts
Trey Turner: He was incredible in the previous WBC and is likely to be back, but he didn't make the initial cut for the hosts' dream teams.
Matt Olson, Marcus Semien, Austin Riley: All would be perfectly credible roster members.
In the outfield, Brenton Doyle, Jackson Merrill, Michael Harris II and Brice Turang as defense/speed specialists got brief consideration.
The bottom line: If half this roster shows up in 2026, the rest of the world is playing for second place.
What's your Dream Team USA 2026 roster? Drop your picks and arguments in the comments!
For more deep dives into baseball's hypothetical (and less hypothetical) debates, tune in to "Baseball-Bar-B-Cast" on Apple, Spotify or YouTube.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Fireworks Set To Explode In Hamburg!
Fireworks Set To Explode In Hamburg! originally appeared on Athlon Sports. History is about to be made in Hamburg when two undefeated Heavyweight champions of the future meet. The two unbeaten heavyweights are set to collide for a continental title on June 7th. Advertisement This is not just any other fight; it is the biggest Heavyweight fight to take place in Hamburg since the Klitschko Brothers ruled the heavyweight ranks. When you look at the two competitors, you can understand the excitement. Xhoxhaj, who is 32 years old from Kosovo, has never lost a boxing match since he started his professional career. His record of 20-0-1 certainly shows that he knows what it takes to win a boxing match, with 16 knockouts out of those 20 wins, he has displayed the ability to end fights. He recently won the European title in an effortful battle. He still came to the top even after being knocked down. Xhoxhaj again faced Oleksandr Zakhozhyi, who was much bigger, and he still won the match. "This is one of the biggest fights of my career," said Xhoxhaj to his fans on his Instagram account recently in May 2025. Can you hear the determination in his voice? Advertisement Challenging him will be Mourad Aliev, a 29-year-old left-handed boxer. Aliev represented France as an amateur in the Olympics before turning professional. He, too, is undefeated with a record of 13-0, with 10 knockouts, and is looking to add a European title to his WBC International Silver belt. Both fighters' styles make the matchup interesting. Xhoxhaj is a grinder and is going to come forward all night long no matter the cost. Aliev is the slick boxer and Olympian who will make you miss and make you pay. Both fighters have a lot to fight for. Both will walk away with the rights to brag about being European Heavyweight champions. This opportunity also represents a legitimate chance to potentially fight for a World title. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
San Francisco Chronicle
3 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Lance Stroll to miss Spanish GP due to pain in hand and wrist
MONTMELO, Spain (AP) — Aston Martin says that Canadian driver Lance Stroll won't race in the Spanish Grand Prix on Sunday due to pain in his hand and wrist. Aston Martin won't be able to replace Stroll since he qualified for the race. That means Fernando Alonso will be the only driver in an emerald green car. The team did not specify which hand was hurting Stroll. It said that he had been 'experiencing pain in his hand and wrist' for six weeks and that doctors believe it is related to a medical procedure he underwent in 2023 following a cycling accident to treat fractures and a broken toe.
USA Today
4 hours ago
- USA Today
Panthers-Oilers Stanley Cup Final rematch has plenty of intrigue
Panthers-Oilers Stanley Cup Final rematch has plenty of intrigue Show Caption Hide Caption Are Edmonton Oilers Stanley Cup bound? Former NHLer weighs in Former NHL winger Riley Cote explains what he loves about this Edmonton Oilers team ahead of the Western Conference Finals. Sports Seriously The defending champion Florida Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers are meeting for the second consecutive year in the Stanley Cup Final. Same old, same old, right? Not quite. Though the core players, coaches and goaltenders are the same, both teams have made important additions, most notably the Panthers. They were aggressive at the trade deadline, adding All-Star forward Brad Marchand and defenseman Seth Jones to join their offseason depth acquisitions. The Oilers have surrounded their stars with a few different depth players and the team has honed its defensive game. "It's going to be an incredible battle again," said Panthers forward Sam Reinhart, who scored last season's series-clinching goal. Here's what's intriguing about the Stanley Cup Final, which opens on Wednesday in Edmonton, Alberta (8 p.m. ET, TNT, truTV). Last year's Final was exciting It didn't start that way with the Panthers taking a 3-0 lead in the series and needing one more victory to clinch their first championship. But the Oilers didn't make it easy. They crushed the Panthers 8-1 in Game 4 and scored five goals in both Games 5 and 6 to tie the series. Just when it seemed the Panthers might be reeling, they found their way again in Game 7 and picked up a 2-1 victory for the title. Can Connor McDavid win his first title? The Oilers star has become the NHL's best player after he was drafted No. 1 overall in 2015. Three MVPs, five scoring titles, one goal title, seven All-Star appearances, the game-winning goal in the 4 Nations Face-Off. The only thing missing is a Stanley Cup ring. He came close last year. He broke Wayne Gretzky's NHL record with 34 assists in a playoff year and totaled 42 points. That made him a rare Conn Smythe Trophy (playoff MVP) winner from the losing team, but he stayed with his teammates rather than accept the individual award. That Game 7 loss has driven him and the team. He's leading the league in playoff assists and points again and had a crucial goal in the series clincher vs. the Dallas Stars. Aleksander Barkov is a shutdown star The Panthers captain is one of the top defensive forwards in the league and is favored to win his third Selke Trophy. Linemate Sam Reinhart is also up for the award. That line could be deployed against McDavid or Leon Draisaitl, though Edmonton will have the last line change in four of the games. Barkov had his own special move in the Panthers' series clincher vs. the Carolina Hurricanes. Will Canada's Stanley Cup drought finally end? No Canadian team has won the Stanley Cup since the 1993 Montreal Canadiens. A Canadian team has been to the Final eight times since then, including this year. The Oilers pushed the series to seven games in their last two visits. Edmonton won the Stanley Cup five times (1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990) before the Canada drought began. Panthers can achieve dynasty status The state of Florida has become a hockey hotbed with the Tampa Bay Lightning reaching the Final from 2020-22 (winning the first two years) and the Panthers reaching from 2023-25. Win a second consecutive title and the Panthers dynasty talk could start. They're deep and have multiple-time All-Star Marchand on the third line. It might be hard to keep the team together because Sam Bennett (league-best 10 goals), Marchand, Aaron Ekblad and others are pending unrestricted free agents, and goalie Sergei Bobrovsky has one more year left on his deal. But the salary cap is going up, giving the Panthers flexibility. Rematch doesn't mean the same result The Detroit Red Wings beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2008 and the Penguins returned the favor the following year to give Sidney Crosby his first title. The same thing happened in 1983 and 1984. The New York Islanders swept the Oilers for their fourth title in a row. But Edmonton won in 1984 as Wayne Gretzky and company began their own dynasty. Jeff Skinner gets his chance in playoff spotlight The 2010-11 rookie of the year never made the playoffs in his first 13 NHL seasons. But he did this season after signing with the Oilers in the offseason, only to be a healthy scratch after suiting up in the playoff opener. However, an injury to Zach Hyman gave him an opportunity to play again. He scored in his return to the lineup. Stuart Skinner can build up his reputation The netminder got to Game 7 of the final last year but goaltending wasn't considered an Oilers strength heading into this postseason. Skinner was benched after two playoff games and backup Calvin Pickard won six in a row. But an injury to Pickard put Skinner back in the net, and he finished off the Vegas Golden Knights with back-to-back shutouts. He also outplayed Stars goalie Jake Oettinger in the conference final. Both coaches are masterful Florida's Paul Maurice has made the Final in his first three seasons with the Panthers. Edmonton's Kris Knoblauch has done it his first two seasons as an NHL head coach. Both are strong at adjustments. Witness how last year's series had such wild swings. Those adjustments have continued his year. Maurice switched out his fourth line after losing the first two games in the second round before his team won in seven games. Knoblauch benched Skinner to give the goalie a chance to reset. Both coaches are highly quotable. You'll see many of these players at the Olympics Nine Panthers took part in the 4 Nations Face-Off, with Matthew Tkachuk (USA), Bennett, Marchand and Reinhart (Canada), Barkov and others (Finland) and Gustav Forsling (Sweden) leading the way. Edmonton had three players, led by Canada's McDavid. Draisaitl will play for Germany in 2026 and other players from these teams could make the Olympics. The biggest stories, every morning. Stay up-to-date on all the key sports developments by subscribing to USA TODAY Sports' newsletter.
