Team USA captaincy puts Aaron Judge's playoff failures back under the microscope

Team USA's road to capturing the 2026 World Baseball Classic began in earnest on Monday, when manager Mark DeRosa announced that star New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge would serve as the team's captain. On paper, it makes all the sense in the world: Judge has been the best hitter in baseball over the last few years, never mind the best American hitter, and with Mike Trout now on the back nine of his career, the time seems right for a changing of the guard.

But of course, they won't be playing the WBC on paper. This event has blossomed into one of the most significant stages in the sport, its biggest names from around the world playing for national pride and eternal bragging rights. The U.S. needs to learn how to thrive in that pressure-cooker, and Judge's own history in big spots has fans wondering whether he's really the right man for the job.

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Aaron Judge's playoff failures have fans divided about Team USA captaincy

Judge's overall track record is beyond reproach; his 1.111 OPS since 2022 is tops in baseball, a full 25 points higher than Shohei Ohtani in second place. He's married the biggest raw power in the sport with a refined approach at the plate, and he's off to another scorching start this season with an MLB-leading six homers. If an alien came down to Earth tomorrow and had to start an American baseball team from scratch, Judge would be an easy first pick.

And yet, we're just a few months removed from watching Judge flail once again on the postseason stage. He hit .184/.344/.408, with 20 strikeouts in 49 at-bats, and he even committed a crucial error in New York's instantly iconic meltdown in Game 5 of the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

That's been a theme throughout Judge's career: Even as he's established himself as a historically great hitter, he has a nasty habit of failing to deliver when the Yankees need him most. As you might imagine, that's raised some questions about his ability to do so in less than a year's time, when he'll undoubtedly come up in a crucial spot for the U.S. against Japan or the Dominican Republic or another world power.

Look, the reality is that no matter how dominant Judge is during the regular season, this narrative is going to stick with him until he puts it to bed for good when it matters most. It'll probably take a World Series ring to do so, but going off on the world stage and bringing a trophy back to the. States would buy him plenty of good will.