Team USA just fell short of one hit from winning the WBC in 2023. It was Japan’s Shohei Ohtani’s heroics to strike out the USA’s Mike Trout that doused one real chance for the USA to come back with the title at home. However, as WBC is back again in 2026, fans have every reason to be optimistic again with Team USA.

This is the first time Aaron Judge is playing the WBC and leading the USA for the coveted title. And alongside Judge, the roster that the USA secured for the global event is what is making the fans believe in the best this time. However, the expectations are so high that loyalists like JoezMcfly are not ready to accept anything but the USA’s title win in the WBC.

“To not win this and have this roster is a colossal disappointment,” Talkin’ Baseball quoted JoezMcfly.

Team USA’s pitching staff alone is loaded with Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal leading the group. On offense, it’s just as stacked: Corbin Carroll, Bryce Harper, Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh, Kyle Schwarber, and Bobby Witt Jr. are among the few. This might be the most stuffed team the USA has had in any WBC. So, nothing less than winning would be accepted by the fans. And why not?

Team USA has MLB’s top two sluggers from the AL: Cal Raleigh and Aaron Judge! Just a few months ago, they were both in the race for AL MVP. They wrapped up 2025 with 60 and 53 HRs, respectively. So, now picture both of those guys in the same lineup. Yes, fireworks are pretty much expected!

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Now, from the pitching side, Skubal and Skenes were the two most dominant arms in MLB. They finished 2025 with ERAs of 2.25 and 1.97. Hence, when MLB’s top hitters and pitchers join together, there shouldn’t be any doubt about who has the best talent in the 2026 WBC.

But let’s not forget the Shohei Ohtani factor, the biggest bump Team USA faced last time. This time, Team USA might actually have an edge. Reportedly, Ohtani will only play as a DH for Japan this time and will not hit the mound. Even though he returned to pitching late in the 2025 MLB season, he and the Dodgers decided he would not pitch in the tournament to protect his health for 2026. So the two-way terror from last time won’t be quite the same threat. Although Japan will still have dangerous arms like Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Still, with a roster this stacked, should Team USA really be worried? JoezMcfly doesn’t think so!

The WBC superteam can still be hunted down

So, even though Team USA is shaping up like a full-blown superteam in this WBC, they’re still beatable. Why? Because of a few internal question marks and the sheer talent on other teams, this tournament is far from a lock.

For example, much like Team USA, Japan is also coming up with a stacked roster that includes MLB’s known faces like Yusei Kikuchi, Yuki Matsui, Seiya Suzuki, Tomoyuki Sugano, Masataka Yoshida, Munetaka Murakami, and Kazuma Okamoto. So, while they will miss the service of Roki Sasaki, Ohtani’s pitching, and Shota Imanaga, it would still be wrong to take them lightly.

And after Japan, it’s the Dominican Republic that could also give Team USA a run for their money in the WBC. They are also loaded with names like Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Ketel Marte, Manny Machado, Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Oneil Cruz, ready to take on the challenge.

So, while there’s no doubt that Team USA poses a strong challenge this WBC, they are not the only ones.