Projecting a Dream Team USA Baseball Roster of MLB Players for 2028 Olympics
It may only be four years before baseball finally gets its own "Dream Team," in which case a big question will need to be answered:
Who should be on it?
Anyone who's already lost only needs to know two things: Baseball will be returning to the Summer Olympics in 2028 after taking this year off, and MLB players may be allowed to participate for the first time.
This doesn't necessarily mean whoever's in charge will be able to pick anyone they want for Team USA. Though the '28 Games will be conveniently located in Los Angeles, they'll also take place in July—right in the middle of the MLB regular season.
This far out, though, there's no harm in imagining what the ideal Team USA could look like in four years. And so we did.
Only American-born players were considered. Since the event is four years from now, an age limit was also applied. With apologies to Gerrit Cole, Freddie Freeman and Zack Wheeler, anyone who'll be older than 36 in 2028 was left out of the pool of possibilities.
We otherwise assumed that the Olympic squads will adhere to standard 26-man rosters, and focused the spotlight on the starting nine, the staff ace and the closer.
Starting Catcher: Adley Rutschman
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Age in 2028: 30
Career Stats: 368 G, 1,607 PA, 50 HR, 6 SB, .266 AVG, .358 OBP, .433 SLG, 12.5 WAR
Credentials: No. 1 pick in 2019 draft, 2-time All-Star
The Baltimore Orioles drafted Adley Rutschman in hopes that he would become a generational talent behind the plate. And to this end, it's so far, so good.
Though he didn't debut until May of 2022 and he still has two months left to go in the 2024 season, Rutschman's 12.5 WAR isn't just a rare feat. It is indeed a singular feat, as it's the most ever for a catcher through his first three seasons.
Of course, this should not surprise anyone. Maybe Rutschman doesn't do everything well, but his game is far heavier on strengths than it is on weaknesses. He's a safely above-average hitter and notably the best at blocking balls in the dirt.
And is it fair to say Rutschman is a winner? It sure seems like it. Since the day he played his first game for them, the Orioles have been the winningest team in the American League.
Starting First Baseman: Bryce Harper
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Age in 2028: 35
Career Stats: 1,601 G, 6,865 PA, 330 HR, 138 SB, .281 AVG, .389 OBP, .522 SLG, 49.6 WAR
Credentials: No. 1 pick in 2010 draft, Rookie of the Year, 8-time All-Star, 2-time MVP
There's no need to sell Bryce Harper on the possibility of being an Olympian. That he's game to play for Team USA is a matter of public record.
"Yes, absolutely and I've spoken to numerous people in MLB about it," the Philadelphia Phillies star said in June. "I would love to be part of that. We have the [World Baseball Classic] but it's not the same."
It wouldn't feel right if Harper wasn't involved. Starting with his appearance on the cover of Sports Illustrated as a 16-year-old, he's spent the last 15 years living a baseball dream. And it's still going strong, as he's among the National League leaders in OPS.
It's not quite optimal that Harper will be in his mid-30s when it comes time for the 2028 Olympics, but he's literally in a good position to stay healthy. Suffice it to say that first base is a less physically demanding role than his old haunt out in right field.
Starting Second Baseman: Mookie Betts
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Age in 2028: 35
Career Stats: 1,337 G, 6,088 PA, 262 HR, 181 SB, .295 AVG, .375 OBP, .524 SLG, 68.7 WAR
Credentials: 8-time All-Star, 6-time Gold Glover, MVP, 2-time World Series champion
Like Harper, Mookie Betts will also be in his mid-30s in 2028. And unlike Harper, his primary positions these days (shortstop and second base) are among the most physically taxing.
Still, this is only the major league leader in WAR for the last decade that we're talking about. However, you want to describe how Betts is aging; just don't use the word "poorly."
He had some injury issues in 2021 and 2022, but he was still a star-caliber player even in the face of those. He then made a run at his second MVP in 2023 and was doing it all over again this year before he broke his hand on a hit-by-pitch in June.
When B/R released its Top 50 MLB Players of the Modern Era in July, only one active hitter ranked higher than Betts. If he wants to become even more of a legend—and he does—going out and winning a Gold Medal would do the trick.
Starting Third Baseman: Gunnar Henderson
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Age in 2028: 27
Career Stats: 292 G, 1,246 PA, 60 HR, 25 SB, .268 AVG, .348 OBP, .512 SLG, 13.8 WAR
Credentials: Rookie of the Year, All-Star
This is cheating a little bit, as Gunnar Henderson has mostly played shortstop as a major leaguer. Heck, he hasn't played third base even once in 2024.
All the same, he is certainly capable of playing the hot corner and is worth considering for the Team USA gig in 2028 for a simple reason: He's on track to end up as one of the best infielders in major league history.
After reaching 6.2 WAR in 2023, Henderson is already up to 6.6 WAR in 2024. For an infielder as young as he is to have two 6-WAR seasons in his first three years is rare, as only he and four others have ever done it.
It should be easy to imagine Henderson having won an MVP or two by the time the 2028 Olympics arrive. The only reason it's not is because he'll have to spend the foreseeable future going toe-to-toe in AL MVP races with the next guy on this list.
Starting Shortstop: Bobby Witt Jr.
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Age in 2028: 28
Career Stats: 418 G, 1,808 PA, 70 HR, 103 SB, .288 AVG, .331 OBP, .500 SLG, 12.4 WAR
Credentials: All-Star
Bobby Witt Jr.'s credentials may be lacking relative to other players on this list, but it'll be no surprise if he's the best of them all four years from now.
Actually, FanGraphs' version of WAR posits that Witt is already the best player in baseball right now. He certainly looks the part, batting an MLB-high .350 and threatening a second 30-to-30 season in as many years.
And his defense? Man, is it good. For the last two seasons, he's tied for third among all fielders in Outs Above Average.
What we've seen from Witt to this point in 2024 already qualifies as one of the 10 best seasons ever by a 24-year-old shortstop. And with his trajectory headed nowhere but up, it's frankly intimidating to think of how good he'll be in four years.
Starting Left Fielder: Steven Kwan
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Age in 2028: 30
Career Stats: 387 G, 1,719 PA, 22 HR, 46 SB, .293 AVG, .362 OBP, .406 SLG, 12.6 WAR
Credentials: All-Star, 2-time Gold Glover
Oh, don't be so surprised. Though this year has seen him take his game to another level, Steven Kwan was arguably the best left fielder in baseball even before 2024.
He was a deserving Gold Glover both as a rookie in 2022 and as a sophomore in 2023. And while his offense was more hit or miss, that notion only applies metaphorically. Literally speaking, he made more contact than any hitter not named Luis Arraez.
That element of Kwan's game is still very much there in 2024, only now he's reaping fruit from it much more consistently. He's batting .333 through 82 games, with as many home runs (11) as he had across his first two seasons combined.
Kwan's profile is unique, to be sure. But that is also the beauty of it, and he's certainly a star in left field at a time when you really can't say that about many other regulars at the position.
Starting Center Fielder: Jarren Duran
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Age in 2028: 31
Career Stats: 300 G, 1,196 PA, 26 HR, 56 SB, .272 AVG, .327 OBP, .455 SLG, 7.4 WAR
Credentials: All-Star, All-Star MVP
Jarren Duran was a top-100 prospect back in 2022, so it wouldn't be entirely accurate to say that he's come out of nowhere.
It sure feels like he has, however, and the revolution began even before this year. Despite missing the final month of 2023 with an injury, he has led all primary center fielders in WAR since the start of last season.
Along with Witt, Duran has already notched at least 30 doubles, 10 triples, 10 home runs, and 20 stolen bases in 2024. These are arbitrary numbers, perhaps, but ones that only four players achieved between 2010 and 2023.
Granted, Duran will no longer be young by baseball standards when 2028 rolls around. But given how late he's bloomed as a star, it's fair game to assume he'll still be one in four years.
Starting Right Fielder: Aaron Judge
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Age in 2028: 36
Career Stats: 943 G, 4,101 PA, 296 HR, 48 SB, .285 AVG, .402 OBP, .598 SLG, 48.9 WAR
Credentials: Rookie of the Year, 6-time All-Star, MVP
To put Aaron Judge in this spot is to take it on faith that he will continue to age gracefully into his mid-30s.
It's admittedly an iffy proposition. His 6'7", 282-pound frame has already proven to be a target-rich environment for the injury bug, and the New York Yankees have tempted fate by playing him as their regular center fielder in the last two seasons.
Yet when it comes down to it, Judge is undeniably the best slugger and arguably the best overall hitter in baseball. His 292 home runs since 2017 are 40 more than any other hitter, and he's the only one to top a 140 OPS+ annually in this span.
It also bears noting that Judge's only major injury issue within the last four years was the fluke toe sprain he suffered last July. He's otherwise gotten very good at caring for his body, so it's not out of the question that he'll be the same ole' Aaron Judge by 2028.
Starting Designated Hitter: Mike Trout
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Age in 2028: 36
Career Stats: 1,518 G, 6,647 PA, 378 HR, 212 SB, .299 AVG, .410 OBP, .581 SLG, 86.1 WAR
Credentials: Rookie of the Year, 11-time All-Star, 2-time All-Star MVP, 3-time MVP
There's no logical reason to believe that Mike Trout will be the player he used to be any time soon, much less four years from now.
Over the last four years, he's spent more time off the field than on it, and on Thursday, it was announced that the same knee that had to be surgically repaired earlier in 2024 will have to be surgically repaired again.
"Dang," said all of us.
Yet unless Trout pulls a Buster Posey and retires early, he still has six years left on his contract with the Los Angeles Angels. So, there's your window to imagine the most decorated player in recent MLB history suiting up for Team USA in 2028.
Such an outcome would be akin to Albert Pujols and Miguel Cabrera being named honorary All-Stars in 2022, but let's also grant that Trout can still hit. Despite his injuries, he's managed a .951 OPS and 76 homers in 266 games since 2021.
Staff Ace: Paul Skenes
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Age in 2028: 26
Career Stats: 13 GS, 80.2 IP, 57 H (8 HR), 103 K, 16 BB, 1.90 ERA, 3.5 WAR
Credentials: No. 1 pick in 2023 draft, All-Star
Getting a little tired of the Paul Skenes hype train?
Well, too bad.
His 1.90 ERA since his debut for the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 11 is the lowest of any pitcher. He's also one of just two pitchers to ever record over 100 strikeouts and fewer than 20 walks in his first 13 starts.
Skenes doesn't feel like a finished product yet, at least to the extent that where the catcher sets up and where he throws the ball aren't always the same. What he's proving, though, is that it's hard to hit unhittable stuff.
If the stuff stays and his command and craft only get better, Skenes has a potentially historic career ahead of him. A Gold Medal in 2028 would be neither the first nor the last of his accolades.
Closer: Mason Miller
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Age in 2028: 28
Career Stats: 44 G, 28 GF, 74.0 IP, 44 H (5 HR), 108 K, 30 BB, 2.92 ERA, 2.3 WAR
Credentials: All-Star
Mason Miller is relatively new to the whole closing thing, yet he is to relief pitching what Skenes has been to starting pitching in 2024.
That is, utterly overpowering and just plain fun to watch.
The Oakland Athletics right-hander has averaged a league-high 100.9 mph on his fastball, with max speeds of 103 and 104 mph. The expected batting average off him is .130, whereas the next-best qualified hurler is at .155.
Because great relievers tend to go as quickly as they come, there are no guarantees that Miller will still be blowing hitters away in four years. But if he is, there simply needs to be a spot for him on Team USA.
The Reserves
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On the Bench
- 1B/OF Cody Bellinger
- INF Jackson Holliday
- C Will Smith
- OF James Wood
There is no better choice than Smith to serve as Rutschman's backup in 2028. Bellinger is admittedly a more questionable pick, yet how many other players could come off the bench and play first base just as well as center field or right field?
For their parts, Holliday and Wood are projection picks. B/R's Joel Reuter has them ranked as the two best prospects in baseball, and they'll both only be in their mid-20s come 2028.
Other Starting Pitchers
- RHP Corbin Burnes
- LHP Garrett Crochet
- LHP Max Fried
- RHP Zac Gallen
- LHP Tarik Skubal
- RHP Logan Webb
Burnes is the only Cy Young Award winner on this list, which gives you an idea of how MLB's legacy aces are fairing these days. All the same, he, Fried, Gallen, and Webb are tried-and-true No. 1 types who should age well.
As for Crochet and Skubal, both are in their 20s and one leads pitchers in rWAR while the other leads in fWAR. Both should only just be beginning their respective reigns.
Relief Pitchers
- LHP Josh Hader
- RHP Ryan Helsley
- RHP Orion Kerkering
- LHP Tanner Scott
- RHP Devin Williams
Though Hader and Scott will both be in their mid-30s in 2028, it's hard to think of two better lefties for Team USA to have in its bullpen. Hader needs no introduction, while Scott has been the most valuable reliever in MLB over the last two seasons.
Williams' "Airbender" changeup is perhaps the single best pitch in baseball, though Helsley's slider is steadily creeping into the conversation.
As for Kerkering, well, he's the upside play here. He already has an impressive resume, with a notable part being that he's faced 177 hitters in the majors and has yet to allow a home run.
Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.
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