The World Baseball Classic wrapped up in epic fashion Tuesday night in Miami as Team Japan outlasted Team USA 3-2 in what proved to be a final for the ages.
Team USA fell just short of repeating as the World Baseball Classic Champions as they were out-dueled by Shohei Ohtani and fiery pitching staff of Team Japan, who finished the tournament undefeated. You could not have written a better script to finish the game, as Shohei Ohtani was brought out of the bullpen for the save with a 3-2 lead. After surrendering a leadoff walk to Jeff McNeil, Ohtani got Mooke Betts to ground into a double play. That just left Ohtani's fellow Los Angeles Angel Superstar Mike Trout as the last hope for Team USA. With the count full, Ohtani got his teammate and Team USA Captain to swing through a slider for the final out of the game, securing the Championship for Team Japan.
There it is! Japan wins the WBC for the 3rd time in history! 🇯🇵
Mike Trout had mentioned last month that he was 'excited' to potentially face his teammate Shohei Ohtani in the World Baseball Classic, giving the Japanese Ace high praise. Well, Trout got his wish. Now I am sure he understands why everyone he had talked to did not want to get in the box versus Ohtani. Perhaps Trout will get a shot at redemption in the next World Baseball Classic, to which he has already declared his participation.
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Rob Manfred announces World Baseball Classic will '100 percent' return in 2026.
With the commissioner confirming the WBC's return in just three years, one can't help but be excited coming off the heels of an electric tournament this year. The viewership numbers shattered that of even the 2022 World Series and the attendance numbers throughout the tournament were sellout crowds.
As a Nationals fan, it would be great to see some of our guys represent Team USA, and not just former our guys like Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber, who both went yard in the final Tuesday night and were responsible for Team USA's sole runs. While the Nationals did have new Third Baseman Jeimer Candelario representing the Dominican Republic this season, and could potentially have Keibert Ruiz and Luis Garcia representing Team Venezuela in the future, they also have several options to potentially represent Team USA as they did in 2013 and 2017.
Historically speaking, the roster for Team USA has a lot of turnover from tournament to tournament. From 2013 to 2017, only 5 out of the 30 players returned. From 2017 to 2023, only 2 players returned from the Championship winning roster: Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado. Now Mike Trout has already said he will be back, but that still leaves at least 29 other available spots to fill. What National could follow in the footsteps of Gio Gonzalez, Ross Detwiler and Tanner Roark and play for Team USA on the biggest baseball stage in the world?
Atlanta Braves v Washington Nationals / G Fiume/GettyImages
CJ Abrams
This would be the most likely player to make the 2026 Team USA roster, but he certainly has his work cut out for him. This year's roster featured Trea Turner, Tim Anderson and Bobby Witt Jr. at Shortstop, all of which could conceivably return for 2026. Turner and Anderson will be 32 by then, while Witt Jr. will only be 26. After Turner's heroics this tournament, I'd say he's likely to return.
So where does Abrams potentially fit? Well, it's actually in the role filled by Bobby Witt Jr. this year. Abrams features outstanding speed and base running ability which would be extremely valuable to Team USA in their tournament efforts. This isn't to say Abrams couldn't work his way into a starting spot for the team if he strings together a couple of impressive campaigns over the next few seasons, but it is to say that his pure speed and electricity plays as is.
The odds tell us that not all three Shortstops will return in 2023, and with so many of the game's top shortstops of different backgrounds and representing their teams internationally, the pathway is there for Abrams to make the team.
Now of course we will start by just wanting to see Abrams progress this season and take a step forward as to not put too many lofty expectations upon his shoulders, but if I were a betting man, I'd bet that Abrams is the favorite from the Nationals as currently constructed to make the Team USA roster in 2026.
Atlanta Braves v Washington Nationals / G Fiume/GettyImages
Josiah Gray
I am letting the hype train fully take me away with this one, as Josiah Gray has been phenomenal this spring. Yes, I know he had a rough 2022 season, but the bright side is that he stayed healthy at a time where the Nationals cannot seem to catch a break in that department, especially with their pitching. His health has allowed him to enter this offseason able to solely focus on tweaks and improvements as opposed to a full-blown rehabilitation. Insert a cutter and a changeup, and Gray looks like a completely new pitcher this spring.
Like Abrams, we don't want to put too many lofty expectations on Gray before he has even established himself at the major league level, but it would be great to see him wearing the red, white and blue for Team USA. Many of the top pitchers in baseball opt out of the World Baseball Classic due to the time of year so as not to interfere with their ramp up to the start of the major league season. While MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred is pushing for more top tier talent in the next World Baseball Classic, if the trend continues and top pitchers opt out, it would make it easier for the next tier of pitchers and a player like Josiah Gray to make the roster. Former Nationals' representatives Ross Detwiler and Tanner Roark were not necessarily Cy Young candidates and were still invited to join Team USA, and Roark was on the 2017 team that won the World Baseball Classic.
Nationals fans have been blessed over the years with top tier pitching in their starting rotation and we are hoping Josiah Gray becomes the latest in a long line of those pitchers. If all goes well, he will be, and he may not even be alone in representing the Nationals' pitching staff...
Washington Nationals v Miami Marlins / Megan Briggs/GettyImages
MacKenzie Gore
There is a growing theme here of not putting too many lofty expectations on these young Nationals' players, but we have already gotten this far so why not keep going?
MacKenzie Gore is still new to the major leagues, let alone to the Nationals and their fans. Gore has only pitched 70 innings in the majors thus far in his short career, and none have yet come with Washington. The southpaw was shut down for the season with an elbow injury shortly following the trade from San Diego that brought him to DC.
What you will probably like to know is that Gore's stuff is electric. Prospects Live had Gore scouted as having "Frontline Impact" as a Starting Pitcher. His fastball is his best pitch, topping out at around 96 MPH, and he has plenty of swing and miss potential with his secondary pitches, provided he can keep his command under control.
The Nationals will certainly want to take it slow with MacKenzie Gore this year and ease him back into action, perhaps even limiting his innings or starts throughout the season. However, with the talent that Gore has, that alone makes him a candidate for any Team USA roster provided he can stay healthy and put it all together for long periods of time. That and the fact that he is a left handed pitcher is another factor in his favor.
The Long Shots
Team USA frequently features names you might not expect on its roster, particularly in the bullpen. While it is difficult to project who the Nationals' impact relievers will be in 2026 and beyond, it is not a huge stretch to believe an impact reliever from the organization could find his way onto the Team USA roster. With the volatility of relievers in today's game, your guess is as good as any when it comes to who exactly that reliever would be, if any at all.
It is also worth mentioning Cade Cavalli, the other high powered, hard throwing pitcher the Nationals' boast in their rotation of the future. The reason I did not include Cavalli in the first round of candidates is because of his impending Tommy John surgery. This isn't to say the injury will impact or derail his future, as Tommy John surgery has become increasingly common over the years, but the Nationals are the same organization that shut down Stephen Strasburg in 2012 in the midst of an NL East title and playoff run. If Cavalli does not pitch again until late in the 2024 season or even the 2025 season, I don't see the Nationals giving Cavalli the go ahead to pitch in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
The other notable long shots are very long shots. James Wood and Elijah Green boast elite talent that could very well be a part of a Team USA World Baseball Classic roster one day. 2026 seems a bit early for them, as we don't even know when either player will make their debut for the Nationals, but if Bobby Witt Jr. can make the stacked Team USA roster after just his rookie season, an impressive 2025 rookie season for either Wood or Green could have them in contention for a 2026 Team USA roster spot.
