How The Stars Aligned For Team USA’s Rotation For the World Baseball Classic

- No Data Available - BROWSE BY SPORTS & TEAMS PLAYERS SHOWS PERSONALITIES TOPICS Built on World Baseball Classic World Baseball Classic How The Stars Aligned For Team USA’s Rotation For the World Baseball Classic Published Mar. 5, 2026 8:24 p.m. ET share facebook x reddit link Rowan Kavner MLB Writer In the three years since Shohei Ohtani struck out Mike Trout to end a riveting 2023 World Baseball Classic, winning the tournament in 2026 has consumed Mark DeRosa’s every thought. To give his team the best chance, the Team USA manager knew there had to be a shift. "You see it from every other country, their best arms show up," DeRosa said at the winter meetings in early December. "For whatever reason, the United States , our best arms don’t show up. That being said, we’re trying to change that narrative." DeRosa expressed his appreciation for the commitment of the pitchers who threw for Team USA over the years, but it was hardly a representation of the best the country had to offer. In 2023, the team’s four starting pitchers in the World Baseball Classic were Merrill Kelly, Lance Lynn, Nick Martinez and a 41-year-old Adam Wainwright. They were all established MLB veterans coming off respectable seasons, but they were also all over the age of 30. None of them had won a Cy Young before, and they had a combined five career All-Star appearances among them — three of which belonged to Wainwright in the early 2010s. While it was USA’s high-powered offense that ultimately cratered in the final, when Japan won 3-2, the U.S. pitching staff was more middling than overpowering throughout the tournament. USA ranked sixth among the 20 countries in the 2023 WBC in ERA (4.20), eighth in opponents’ batting average (.255), 10th in average fastball velocity (91.5 mph) and 11th in strikeouts per nine innings (8.25). This year, Team USA should obliterate those numbers with the best rotation and pitching staff it has ever assembled. Aaron Judge was the first player named to the 2026 U.S. ...