After falling short to Japan in the World Baseball Classic in 2023, Team USA returns this time around with an absolutely stacked roster.
Touting some of the most talented players in Major League Baseball, Team USA is the frontrunner this year, but it will still need other players to pull their weight during the tournament.
Team USA’s starting rotation will feature Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal, yet MLB.com’s Brent Maguire listed San Francisco Giants ace Logan Webb as the “X-factor” the team needs.
“To be perfectly blunt, Team USA’s roster is certifiably loaded,” Maguire wrote Friday. “Whether it’s position players such as Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh and Bobby Witt Jr. or pitchers like Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes, the U.S. roster has remarkable star power. But in a tournament with other star-studded rosters, Team USA will need plenty of players to pull their weight.
“We’ll focus on the rotation and highlight Webb, one of baseball’s most durable frontline starters and one heck of a No. 3 starter behind Skubal and Skenes. Webb is baseball’s premier innings eater but that undersells the fact that he’s also one of baseball’s top all-around starters. And the Giants right-hander leveled up in 2025 with a career year, where he struck out an NL-leading 224 batters. Even with pitch limits in the WBC, Webb has a chance to make an outsized impact in the tourney.”
Despite being Team USA’s No. 3 starter, Webb has been one of the best pitchers in the MLB for years. The 29-year-old is a two-time All-Star and has been in the running to win a Cy Young award in each of the past three seasons.
Webb has always been an innings-eater, but stepped up last season, striking out the most batters in the National League. With Tarik Skubal announcing he will only make one start in the WBC, Team USA will need to lean on Webb more. Webb has a chance to make a major impact as Team USA opens up the tournament against Brazil on March 6.
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