With Shohei Ohtani leading a formidable Samurai Japan, Team USA is placing its World Baseball Classic hopes squarely on the shoulders of two men for their own line of defense.

Ken Rosenthal has reported that Mark DeRosa, Team USA, is looking toward Aaron Judge and Paul Skenes to solve the Shohei Ohtani and Team Japan threat.

“When we had Aaron Judge from a position-player standpoint and Paul Skenes from a pitching standpoint, the two pillars were in a place to build off,” DeRosa stated.

Aaron Judge is expected to handle the pressure due to his effectiveness as an outfielder. While he can play right field and center field, other outfielders like Corbin Carroll, Byron Buxton, and Pete Crow-Armstrong generally play only in one outfield position. Plus, Judge is also an impressive power hitter. His two-run home run against the Baltimore Orioles last April shows the same.

In 159 games last season, he recorded 53 homers alongside 114 RBIs.

Paul Skenes has also established himself as one of the elite pitchers. His four-seam fastballs, sliders, and sweepers can be a major obstacle for batters.

Last season, he struck out 9 batters of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 6 1/3 innings, helping the Pittsburgh Pirates win 3-0. Throughout 32 games, he recorded 216 strikeouts with a 1.97 ERA, becoming the first NL pitcher in 40 years to win Rookie of the Year and Cy Young in consecutive seasons (2024–2025).

But the reality is that it is both Judge and Skenes’ first World Baseball Classic. And against them would be the formidable two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani.

Shotime will enter the field in hopes of winning his second World Baseball Classic. Last time, Ohtani struck out DeRosa’s former teammate, Mike Trout, in the finals to win the World Baseball Classic 3-2 against Team USA. So, the pressure is on for Team USA to snatch the WBC title long after 2017.

Especially when the team consists of veterans like Clayton Kershaw, Alex Bregman, Kyle Schwarber, Tarik Skubal, Bobby Witt Jr., Cal Raleigh, amongst others. And for Captain America, another daunting task would be to lead them.

Paul Skenes may also face the burden to prove himself in front of veteran pitchers. There’s one more factor at play in this whole scenario.

Judge and Skenes are used to play only in front of the MLB fanbase. With the World Baseball Classic, they will be exposed to an international audience, which might add to their burden. But the upside cannot be denied.

Starting Pitchers like Clayton Kershaw, Tarik Skubal, Joe Ryan, and Paul Skenes can keep the opponents on their toes. Likewise, hitters like Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh, Bobby Witt Jr., Alex Bregman, and Kyle Schwarber can keep the home runs coming.

But while Aaron Judge is all set to debut in the World Baseball Classic, one of his MLB teammates has opted not to join him.

Cody Bellinger prefers MLB over World Baseball Classic

Cody Bellinger returned to the New York Yankees on a 5-year $162.5 million deal this January, ending his free agency. But the veteran has chosen not to participate in the World Baseball Classic.

“I owe it to the Steinbrenner family and the Yankee organization to go and give my best foot forward and try and win a championship,” Bellinger stated.

Bellinger’s comments indicate his commitment to the contract and helping the New York Yankees win the World Series. The WBC may tire him out, or worse, injure him.

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On the contrary, focusing on the World Series will help him resume his impressive outfielding skills and protect Aaron Judge while doing so. After all, in 152 games last season, he hit 29 home runs with a .272 batting average.

With Cody Bellinger opting to stay away from the World Baseball Classic, it remains to be seen whether his teammate Aron Judge and Paul Skenes can counter the challenge of Shohei Ohtani and Team Japan.