Full Breakdown, Analysis of Team USA Roster For 2023 World Baseball Classic
After a six-year hiatus, the World Baseball Classic is back, and with more star power than ever before for Team USA.
It was announced over the summer that Los Angeles Angels superstar Mike Trout would be suiting up for Team USA and serving as team captain, and that seemed to set in motion a call to arms for many of the game's best American-born players.
On Thursday, the full rosters were announced for each of the 20 teams set to participate in this year's tournament, and ahead we've taken a position-by-position look at how the United States roster shapes up.
The 2023 World Baseball Classic starts with pool play on March 8, while Team USA will play its first game against Great Britain on March 11.
Let's take a closer look at the Team USA squad.
Catchers
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Kyle Higashioka
J.T. Realmuto
Will Smith
Team USA will have the best all-around catcher in baseball behind the plate in Philadelphia Phillies star J.T. Realmuto. The 31-year-old hit .276/.342/.478 for a 129 OPS+ with 22 home runs, 84 RBI and 21 steals to finish seventh in NL MVP balloting while also taking home his second career Gold Glove Award.
Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith is a rising star at the position, and he could get the starting nod when his teammate Clayton Kershaw is on the mound.
While Adley Rutschman, Sean Murphy and Cal Raleigh all come to mind as more high-profile third catcher options than Kyle Higashioka, it makes sense that Murphy would want to use spring training to work with his new pitching staff. Rutschman and Raleigh are still young and building that rapport as well.
First Basemen
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Pete Alonso
Paul Goldschmidt
With Freddie Freeman suiting up for Team Canada, these two were the obvious picks at first base for Team USA.
Expect to see Paul Goldschmidt as the starting first baseman throughout the tournament coming off his NL MVP season. The 35-year-old slugger is one of only two players who are back from the 2017 Team USA roster, with St. Louis Cardinals teammate Nolan Arenado being the other.
That will leave Pete Alonso as one of the leading candidates to serve as designated hitter, and the right-handed hitter could platoon with left-handed hitting outfielder Kyle Schwarber in that role.
Second Basemen
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Jeff McNeil
It's going to be interesting to see how manager Mark DeRosa handles second base.
The obvious answer would be to pencil NL batting title winner Jeff McNeil into his natural position after he hit .326/.382/.454 with 39 doubles and only 61 strikeouts in 589 plate appearances. He could be the perfect No. 9 hitter in a stacked lineup to help turn the lineup over.
Trea Turner played second base for the Los Angeles Dodgers after he was acquired at the 2021 trade deadline before shifting back to his natural position last year, so he could also be an option to shift over and handle second base.
The outside-the-box move would be to use Mookie Betts at second base, freeing up a starting spot in the outfield. He started five games there last season and has played 228 total innings at second in the majors.
Versatile players like Tommy Edman and Jake Cronenworth would have been nice bench players for Team USA, but who would you bump to put them on the roster?
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Third Basemen
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Nolan Arenado
Bobby Witt Jr.
With 10 straight Gold Gloves and seven 30-homer, 100-RBI seasons to his credit, Nolan Arenado is the clear choice to play the hot corner for Team USA. This will be his second World Baseball Classic appearance, so he's one of the few veterans of the tournament on the roster.
I like the idea of getting a young rising star like Bobby Witt Jr. some exposure on this national stage, and he provides some versatility with the ability to play shortstop and third base, but where is Austin Riley?
The Atlanta Braves slugger was one of the biggest snubs when All-Star Game rosters were revealed last season—though he ultimately made the NL squad as an injury replacement—and he looks like one of the biggest snubs again here.
Shortstops
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Tim Anderson
Trea Turner
Speedy Trea Turner is the best American-born shortstop in baseball by a decent margin right now, though as mentioned it's not out of the question to think he might see the bulk of his action at second base.
The 29-year-old will suit up for Team USA before he plays his first game for the Philadelphia Phillies, who signed him to an 11-year, $300 million deal during the offseason.
Tim Anderson is a worthy second choice from a pool that also included Dansby Swanson, Bo Bichette and Corey Seager, and his contact-oriented approach will provide a nice change of pace on a roster loaded with power hitters.
Outfielders
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Mookie Betts
Cedric Mullins
Kyle Schwarber
Mike Trout
Kyle Tucker
It was announced all the way back in July that Mike Trout would be playing for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic and would serve as team captain, and his involvement in the tournament no doubt helped convince more superstars to throw their hat in the ring.
Assuming Mookie Betts is not playing second base, the starting outfield should be Kyle Tucker in left field, Trout in center field and Betts in right field.
As mentioned, Kyle Schwarber is one of the top options for the designated hitter role, while Cedric Mullins is the perfect fourth outfielder on this stacked roster with his ability to provide speed and defense off the bench.
No Aaron Judge is a bit of a bummer, but after a busy offseason and given the record-setting contract he signed to stay with the New York Yankees, it's not overly surprising to see him opt against adding something else to his plate.
Starting Pitchers
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Nestor Cortes
Merrill Kelly
Clayton Kershaw
Lance Lynn
Miles Mikolas
Brady Singer
Adam Wainwright
This is where things get a bit dicey.
It's a tough sell to convince teams to let their pitchers participate in the World Baseball Classic, pitching high-stress innings when they have not yet fully stretched out for the season and risking injury before Opening Day.
In theory, Clayton Kershaw, Adam Wainwright and Lance Lynn have all been around long enough that getting ready for a new season comes relatively easy to them and participating in the tournament would greatly impact their preparation. Those three would be my early picks to start the first three games of the tournament for Team USA.
That said, don't sleep on Merrill Kelly, who went 13-8 with a 3.37 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 177 strikeouts in a career-high 200.1 innings last year for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Would it be nice to have Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander on the roster as well? Of course, but it's not surprising to see them pass on participating, and there is still plenty of pitching talent on this roster with a bullpen that can shorten games.
Relief Pitchers
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Jason Adam
Daniel Bard
David Bednar
Kendall Graveman
Adam Ottavino
Ryan Pressly
Brooks Raley
Devin Williams
Devin Williams, Ryan Pressly, Daniel Bard and David Bednar were all lights-out ninth-inning options in 2022, while Adam Ottavino and Kendall Graveman were two of the most effective setup relievers in the game.
If you're not familiar with Jason Adam, he quietly enjoyed a breakout season with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2022, posting a 1.56 ERA, 0.76 WHIP and 10.7 K/9 with eight saves and 22 holds in 67 appearances.
The fact that Brooks Raley is the only left-hander in this bullpen makes me think there's a good chance Nestor Cortes will be used in relief, and he has experience pitching in that role prior to breaking out in 2021.
It would be great to have Josh Hader in the mix, but after the ups and downs he went through last season, a normal spring training might be in his best interest.
This bullpen unit could be the X-factor for Team USA.
Full Roster
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Position Players
1B Pete Alonso, NYM
SS Tim Anderson, CWS
3B Nolan Arenado, STL
OF Mookie Betts, LAD
1B Paul Goldschmidt, STL
C Kyle Higashioka, NYY
2B/OF Jeff McNeil, NYM
OF Cedric Mullins, BAL
C J.T. Realmuto, PHI
C Will Smith, LAD
OF Mike Trout, LAA
OF Kyle Tucker, HOU
SS Trea Turner, PHI
SS/3B Bobby Witt Jr., KC
Pitchers
RP Jason Adam, TB
RP Daniel Bard, COL
RP David Bednar, PIT
SP Nestor Cortes, NYY
RP Kendall Graveman, CWS
SP Merrill Kelly, ARI
SP Clayton Kershaw, LAD
SP Lance Lynn, CWS
SP Miles Mikolas, STL
RP Adam Ottavino, NYM
RP Ryan Pressly, HOU
RP Brooks Raley, NYM
SP Brady Singer, KC
SP Adam Wainwright, STL
RP Devin Williams, MIL
Note: SP/RP Nick Martinez (SD) is part of the designated player pool and will be eligible to be added to the roster. Each team can designate a pool of up to 10 pitchers to essentially serve as a taxi squad.
Projected Starting Lineup
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Projected Team USA Starting Lineup
1. SS Trea Turner
2. RF Mookie Betts
3. CF Mike Trout
4. 1B Paul Goldschmidt
5. 3B Nolan Arenado
6. DH Pete Alonso/Kyle Schwarber
7. C J.T. Realmuto
8. LF Kyle Tucker
9. 2B Jeff McNeil
LHP Clayton Kershaw
RHP Adam Wainwright
RHP Lance Lynn
RHP Merrill Kelly
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