Aaron Judge named Team USA captain for 2026 WBC

Aaron Judge named Team USA captain for 2026 WBC

Two years after being named the New York Yankees’ captain, slugger Aaron Judge has been named Team USA captain for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, MLB announced Monday.

Judge, who turns 33-years-old later this month, was the unanimous AL MVP last year after leading MLB in home runs (58), RBIs (144), walks (133), on-base percentage (.458), OPS (1.159) and OPS+ (226).

Behind Shohei Ohtani‘s two-way superstardom, Judge has been arguably the best player in MLB the last three seasons. Since the start of 2022, he has led all qualified players in homers (163)–26 more than any other player–with the highest on-base percentage, slugging percentage and wRC+ by a considerable margin.

We’ve rarely seen a peak like his in MLB History, so this honor is incredibly well-deserved. Growing the game should be at the forefront of MLB, and Judge is one of the sport’s most marketable players. The World Baseball Classic only continues to grow, so this is objectively good for the game itself.

The rest of the Team USA roster will be announced at a later date.

Judge said Monday that making the team this year was a priority of his after he didn’t participate in 2023.

“It was something I really wanted to be a part of,” he said, according to Brendan Kuty of The Athletic. “But I felt like first my responsibility was to the Yankees. I had just signed a new deal. I had just been named team captain. I wanted to be a big part of bringing the Yankees back to where they need to be. I felt like I couldn’t miss that first spring training. But after we have another deep run this year and finish the job, it’ll be fun going out there.”

They are coming off a silver medal finish to Japan in the 2023 WBC, a thrilling showcase between Ohtani and Mike Trout, two former teammates who are two of the best in MLB (when healthy). Ohtani got the best of Team USA this time, but will that occur next year? Let’s see what the Judge rules!

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