The 2026 Team USA World Baseball Classic roster is locked and loaded. Twenty-two of the 30 players have All-Star Games on their resume, with 65 appearances in the Midsummer Classic shared between them. Here are 15 additional figures that stand out about Team USA.

15 USA Baseball Alumni

For half of the players on this year’s roster, it won’t be their first time representing their country. Fifteen players have competed for Team USA in the past, including alumni from each stop on the USA Baseball national team pipeline: Pete-Crow Armstrong and Paul Skenes were teammates on the 12U National Team back in 2014; Brice Turang starred for the 15U National Team that same year; Corbin Carroll, Crow-Armstrong and Bobby Witt Jr. teamed up for the 18U National Team in 2018; and Alex Bregman and Kyle Schwarber represented the Collegiate National Team back in 2013.

Bregman leads the roster with the most Team USA appearances, having played for five different stars and stripes squads throughout his career. Clayton Kershaw has been affiliated with Team USA the longest – his first appearance came 21 years ago for the 2005 18U National Team. Simply put, this squad bleeds red, white and blue.

14 Players Under Age 30

One of the most noticeable qualities about this year’s roster when compared with WBC squads of years past is the youth. The average age of the team is 29.5 years old – a noticeable difference from that of the WBC team that took silver in 2023 (31). Most notably, there are eight players who are 25 or younger. Pete Crow-Armstrong (21) is the youngest member of the squad, while Paul Skenes (23) is the youngest pitcher. The roster also includes each of the 2023 Rookie of the Year Winners in Corbin Carroll (25) and Gunnar Henderson (24). That’s not to say that the squad lacks age and experience, however – Clayton Kershaw (37) and Paul Goldschmidt (38) will anchor the pitching staff and lineup, respectively.

13 Gold Gloves

With all the offensive firepower on the Team USA roster, it can be easy to overlook just how good it is defensively. Nine different USA players have been named their league’s best defensive player at their position, with 13 Gold Gloves earned in total. Paul Goldschmidt leads the group with four Gold Gloves for his work at first base, while Bobby Witt Jr. has won two straight awards for his lockdown defense at shortstop. Reigning winners of the award also include pitcher Logan Webb and centerfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong. Combine that with former winners Byron Buxton, Clayton Kershaw, Cal Raleigh and Brice Turang, and manager Mark DeRosa will have a Gold Glove option at nearly every position on the field.

12 Gold Medals

Speaking of gold, winning first place in an international competition would be no novel experience for a handful of Team USA members. Seven of the players who previously competed for USA National Teams have walked away as champions, with 12 gold medals earned in total. Alex Bregman leads the group once again in this category, winning four gold medals in his five appearances with USA Baseball national teams. Pete Crow-Armstrong and Bryce Harper have won two gold medals apiece. The most recent gold medal for the group was in 2018, when Corbin Carroll, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Bobby Witt Jr. led the 18U National Team to victory at the COPABE Pan-American Championships.

11 Top 30 Draft Picks

Perhaps the best encapsulation of the sheer talent on the WBC roster is the number of top draft picks on the roster. Thirteen total have been taken in the first round of the MLB Draft, with 11 of those going in the top 30. Bryce Harper and Paul Skenes were first overall picks in 2010 and 2023, and it’s safe to say their careers have lived up to the hype: Harper has two MVPs and Skenes is the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner. Alex Bregman, Byron Buxton, and Bobby Witt Jr., were each taken second overall in their draft classes. Each has gone on to make multiple All-Star Games. Kyle Schwarber (4th overall) and Clayton Kershaw (7th overall) round out the list of players who went in the top 10; both are World Series Champions.

10 Silver Slugger Award Winners

This figure is somewhat understated, as the ten players with Silver Sluggers have actually combined to win the award 22 times. To put that figure in perspective, the average batter in the Team USA lineup has likely been the best hitter in their league at their position for multiple seasons. Paul Goldschmidt and Aaron Judge are tied for the most Silver Slugger Awards with five apiece (meaning Goldschmidt leads the team in both Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards). Bryce Harper is right behind them with four. The reigning Silver Slugger winners on the roster include Judge, Byron Buxton, Corbin Carroll, Cal Raleigh and Bobby Witt Jr. These five players combined for a whopping 212 homers during the 2025 season.

9 World Series Rings

This roster is no stranger to the clutch – four of the last six World Series trophies were won by Team USA players. Clayton Kershaw and Will Smith have each collected three rings with the Dodgers, including victories in the last two Fall Classics. Smith hit the go-ahead blast in LA’s 11-inning, game-seven victory over the Blue Jays this past October. Alex Bregman has swatted six homers in his World Series career, winning two rings with the Astros in the process. Kyle Schwarber claimed his ring almost ten years ago with the Cubs. He too came up with a crucial game-seven, extra-inning hit when he put the go-ahead run on base for the Cubs in their curse-breaking triumph. Speaking of clutch, it’s also worth mentioning Ernie Clement here – the Blue Jays utility player came just short of a ring in 2025, but he broke a Major League record with his 30 postseason hits.

8 Home Run (& ERA) Titles

Not many stats demonstrate this roster’s dominance at the plate and on the mound better than this one. Team USA hitters have led their league in homers on eight different occasions, with Cal Raleigh’s 60 bombs leading the AL and Kyle Schwarber’s 52 homers leading the NL in 2025. Aaron Judge has won three home run titles (2017, 2022 and 2024), setting a single-season AL record with his 62 blasts in 2022. On the mound, USA pitchers have led in earned run average on eight occasions as well. This past season, Tarik Skubal’s 2.21 ERA led the AL, and Paul Skenes’s 1.97 mark led the NL. This was Skubal’s second year in a row of claiming the AL ERA crown. Clayton Kershaw topped the list four times in his career, leading the Major Leagues in ERA from 2011 through 2014.

7 MVP Awards

While we’re on the topic of 2014 Clayton Kershaw, his MVP award that season was the first of seven earned by the players on this roster. Aaron Judge headlines the group, as he enters the tournament fresh off back-to-back MVP campaigns with the Yankees. His three MVPs in the last four seasons give him the most of any player on the squad. Bryce Harper has been the NL Most Valuable Player twice; once with the Nationals in 2015 and again with the Phillies in 2021. Rounding out the list is Paul Goldschmidt, who won the award with the Cardinals in 2022. Team USA’s seven MVP awards are the most of any roster in WBC history. Needless to say, there is plenty of star power on the stars and stripes.

6 Cy Young Awards

Of the seven Cy Young awards won by this year's WBC pitchers, six belong to members of Team USA. Reigning Cy Young winners Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal will provide a lethal one-two punch at the top of the American rotation, forming what is arguably the most dominant pitching duo the Classic has ever seen. Skubal, a left-hander, has won the Cy Young two years in a row now for the Tigers, while Skenes just collected his first Cy Young in his second season with the Pirates. Over the past two years, Skenes and Skubal have combined for an astonishing 2.15 ERA in 117 starts. Not to be outdone, Clayton Kershaw holds the edge in total Cy Young Awards with three. Kershaw is one of just 20 players all-time to record 3,000 career strikeouts, which he eclipsed last July.

5 Rookie of the Year Awards

Another testament to the young talent on Team USA is its handful of recent Jackie Robinson Award winners. Three of the last six awardees are on the roster: Paul Skenes, Corbin Carroll and Gunnar Henderson (each of whom went through the USA Prospect Development Pipeline). Nolan McLean (who played on the 2019 18U National Team with Pete Crow-Armstrong) also received votes for Rookie of the Year last season after pitching his way to a 2.06 ERA in eight starts for the Mets. Mason Miller came close in 2024 as well when he earned 28 saves as a rookie for the A's. And of course, Bryce Harper and Aaron Judge each picked up the award when they burst onto the scene in the 2010s. Judge’s 52 homers in 2017 are the second most by a rookie all-time.

4 Hitters from 2023 WBC

Four hitters will return from the 2023 WBC lineup to avenge the championship game loss against Japan. Paul Goldschmidt appeared in all seven games for Team USA, batting .280/.455/.440 with one homer and five RBIs. Kyle Schwarber played in five games, going yard twice and recording a 1.093 OPS. Will Smith and Bobby Witt Jr. combined for one homer, two doubles and two RBIs in 15 plate appearances. In addition to the returning sluggers from the 2023 team is Alex Bregman, who helped Team USA win gold at the 2017 WBC (alongside Goldschmidt).

3 Platinum Glove Winners

A number of talented sluggers will be staring down Team USA once again – Japan’s Shohei Ohtani, the Dominican Republic’s Juan Soto and Mexico’s Randy Arozarena come to mind. This means a strong defense will be all the more important. Fortunately, Team USA possesses Platinum Glove winners up the middle in shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and second baseman Brice Turang, as well as catcher Cal Raleigh behind the plate. Witt Jr. tied fellow Team USA member Pete Crow-Armstrong for the Major League lead with 24 Outs Above Average last season, while Raleigh (whose bat overshadows his glove) led all MLB catchers in putouts when he won his Platinum Glove in 2024. Utilityman Ernie Clement should provide valuable versatility as well; Clement had 15 Outs Above Average last season across each of the four infield positions.

2 Roberto Clemente Awards

As if their aforementioned honors were not enough, Clayton Kershaw and Aaron Judge are also recipients of the Roberto Clemente Award, given annually to the player who best represents the game on and off the field. Kershaw earned the prestigious honor in 2012 for his work to improve the lives of at‑risk youth in Africa. His foundation, Kershaw's Challenge, provides a safe haven for orphans and children who suffer from HIV and AIDS. MLB recognized Judge with the award in 2023 after he established the Aaron Judge All Rise Foundation, which inspires young people to become responsible citizens and future leaders. Judge will serve as captain for Team USA.

1 World Baseball Classic Title

Team USA’s 2017 victory remains the country’s sole title in the WBC. Immortalized by Adam Jones’s home run-robbing against Manny Machado and the Dominican Republic, the championship run was one for the ages. The red, white and blue knocked off Japan in the semifinals and Puerto Rico in the finals to win the gold. Marcus Stroman won MVP, and Eric Hosmer and Christian Yelich were named to the All-Tournament Team. Nevertheless, a heartbreaking loss in the 2023 final against Japan has left Mark DeRosa’s squad hungry for more. Armed with its most impressive roster to date, Team USA will look to seize the WBC podium once again this March.