Aaron Judge named captain of Team USA for 2026 World Baseball Classic

With the next World Baseball Classic now less than a year away, Team USA has its first confirmed member — and its new leader. New York Yankees star outfielder Aaron Judge became the first player to commit to the U.S. roster on Monday morning, with Team USA manager Mark DeRosa announcing that Judge will serve as the team's captain.

This will be Judge's first appearance on the WBC stage; he wasn't a part of the 2023 roster that lost to Japan in a thrilling final, not wanting to miss out on the start of spring training after signing a massive new deal with the Yankees and being named New York's newest captain.

But the outfielder had expressed plenty of interest in taking part over the ensuing couple of years, and now he's set to lead the U.S. as it looks to win the tournament for the second time. Next year's World Baseball Classic is set to get underway on March 5, 2026, with pool play being split between Miami, Florida; Houston, Texas; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and Tokyo, Japan.

It remains to be seen just which American stars Judge will be able to recruit to join him on Team USA next spring. But it's hard to argue with No. 99 as the perfect place to start.

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Aaron Judge will lead Team USA into 2026 World Baseball Classic

Judge is off to another scorching start in 2025, leading the Majors in homers (6) and OPS (1.228) through New York's first 15 games. While Shohei Ohtani is a singular superstar, Judge has establishsed himself as the best hitter in baseball over the last few seasons. His 1.111 OPS since the start of 2022 is far and away the highest mark in the league — a full 25 points higher than Ohtani's .986 mark.

Of course, that hasn't always been true in the biggest moments, which will undoubtedly cause some to question whether Judge is the right choice to serve as team captain. Judge's postseason struggles are real, and well-documented: He's a career .205/.318/.450 hitter in October, and he's been mostly invisible across New York's last four trips to the playoffs.

That reputation will follow Judge until he does something about it, and the WBC provides an excellent opportunity to do just that. The 2023 edition was a flashbulb moment across the sport, with the biggest names in the game all taking part. The U.S. came up just short two years ago, with Ohtani striking out Mike Trout to seal the championship game. If Judge can help flip that script, the critics will get a lot quieter.