The rosters for all 20 teams playing in the World Baseball Classic were revealed Thursday ahead of the start of the tournament on March 5. Now it’s time to speculate on how managers will navigate those rosters to set starting lineups and pitching staffs. While a difficult task for all, it’s an especially challenging endeavor—in a good way—for Team USA skipper Mark DeRosa, who’s entering his second WBC as the team’s manager after a silver-medal finish in 2023.
DeRosa has an even more star-studded team at his disposal this time around, with a lineup headlined by reigning American League MVP Aaron Judge and slugging catcher Cal Raleigh, and a pitching rotation that features both reigning Cy Young Award winners in Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes.
Projected Team USA World Baseball Classic Batting Order
| Order | Position | Player | Bats |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LF | Corbin Carroll | L |
| 2 | SS | Bobby Witt Jr. | R |
| 3 | RF | Aaron Judge | R |
| 4 | C | Cal Raleigh | S |
| 5 | DH | Kyle Schwarber | L |
| 6 | 1B | Bryce Harper | L |
| 7 | 3B | Alex Bregman | R |
| 8 | CF | Pete Crow-Armstrong | L |
| 9 | 2B | Brice Turang | L |
Carroll, in a career-best season at the plate in 2025, spent much of his time in the leadoff spot for the Diamondbacks. Witt Jr.’s mix of contact (.295 batting average), power (23 home runs) and on-base capabilities (.351 OBP) slots in nicely behind Carroll and ahead of the big boppers. While Judge typically bats second in the Yankees’ lineup, he hit third during the majority of the 2024 season behind Juan Soto and actually owns a higher career OPS out of the No. 3 slot. Raleigh, fresh off a record-setting ‘25 campaign that saw him belt 60 home runs, is an opposing pitcher’s worst nightmare in the on-deck circle behind Judge. It’s also possible that Witt hits lower in the lineup to split up the righties and move Judge and Raleigh up a tick.
Going with Schwarber’s elite power and patience in the five-hole is a nice way to set the tone for the bottom half of the batting order. The fact that a two-time MVP and future Hall of Famer in Harper can find himself batting sixth speaks to how loaded this lineup is. Bregman might not be the hitter he once was, but he can still handle the bat (128 OPS+ in ‘25) and his above-average defense at third is a must-have in the lineup. Speaking of defense, Crow-Armstrong was MLB’s best defensive center fielder last year, leading the majors in outs above average while taking home his first Gold Glove. Oh, and he also belted 31 homers while swiping 35 bases. The pesky Turang, who ranked 10th in MLB in pitches per plate appearance and posted a 10% walk rate in ‘25, is like a second leadoff hitter for Team USA.
DeRosa has plenty of permutations to play around with, with Dodgers star Will Smith able to spell Raleigh at catcher, Twins slugger Byron Buxton another option in center field, Gunnar Henderson a high-level talent at shortstop and Ernie Clement a dependable option at second or third base.
Projected Team USA Starting Pitching Rotation
| Role | Player | Throws |
|---|---|---|
| SP1 | Tarik Skubal | L |
| SP2 | Paul Skenes | R |
| SP3 | Logan Webb | R |
| SP4 | Joe Ryan | R |
| SP5 | Nolan McLean | R |
DeRosa’s most difficult decision might just be who takes the ball first for Team USA between back-to-back American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal and ‘25 National League Cy Young winner Paul Skenes. There is no wrong decision. Webb, MLB’s leader in quality starts and innings pitched since 2022, is a rock-solid number three starter. Ryan posted a career-best 3.42 ERA and baseball’s fourth-largest difference between strikeout and walk rates en route to his first All-Star team in ‘25. McLean is the favorite for NL Rookie of the Year after the Mets phenom pitched to a 2.06 ERA in his first eight career starts. Veterans Matthew Boyd, Michael Wacha and Clayton Kershaw—pitching in his final taste of professional baseball—could also be in the mix to start.
While this is listed as a traditional five-man rotation, it’s more likely that DeRosa utilizes the vast pitching depth in Team USA’s arsenal to ensure that no single pitcher handles too heavy a workload. But in terms of true starting pitching options, these five project to be his best options.
Team USA begins World Baseball Classic group play on March 6 against Brazil at 8 p.m. ET.
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- Tigers Sign Framber Valdez to Lucrative Deal Amid Tarik Skubal Arbitration Fight
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Projecting Team USA’s World Baseball Classic Lineup, Pitching Rotation .
