If this sport, long considered America’s pastime, were to feature at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Team USA would be a sure bet for gold, right?
Just as we expect Team USA to win gold medals, the same is true in baseball, but in the World Baseball Classic, the Olympic equivalent, Team USA has only won once since its inception in 2006 (the World Baseball Classic takes place every 3-4 years).
Meanwhile, Japan has won the WBC three times, accounting for more than half of the total number of WBC titles. The only other country to have won the WBC trophy is the Dominican Republic. (Not to mention, Japan also won gold when baseball becomes an Olympic sport in 2021, but no major leaguers participated in that tournament.)
Based on past international competitions, the US team will likely face a tough challenge if it makes it to the 2024 Olympics, but it is still a talented team with a good chance of winning the gold medal.
And one thing is for sure: Team USA will be a blast to watch. Let’s take a closer look at who will be selected for the team.
According to Aeriel Epstein of Fanatics Sportsbook, the starting lineup is as follows:
(Statistics represent the 2024 season as of June 28th)
DH: Kyle Schwarber, Philadelphia Phillies (.820 OPS, 17 home runs, 49 RBIs)
C: Adley Rutschman, Baltimore Orioles (.830 OPS, 15 home runs, 55 RBIs)
1B: Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies (.981 OPS, 20 home runs, 58 RBIs)
2B: (Assuming he gets healthy on time) Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers (.892 OPS, 10 home runs, 40 RBIs)
SS: Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles (1.000 OPS, 26 home runs, 58 RBIs)
3B: Alec Bohm, Philadelphia Phillies (.835 OPS, 9 home runs, 65 RBIs)
CF: Aaron Judge, New York Yankees (OPS 1.131, 30 home runs, 79 RBIs)
LF: Riley Greene, Detroit Tigers (.850 OPS, 15 home runs, 41 RBIs)
RF: Kyle Tucker, Houston Astros (.979 OPS, 19 home runs, 40 RBIs) During the IL period from June 3 to 10)
SP: Zack Wheeler, Philadelphia Phillies (2.73 ERA, 112 strikeouts, 0.98 WHIP)
Most of this starting lineup looks pretty solid, though there could be some tweaks made.
The 2024 MLB All-Star Game will be held on July 16th and voting is almost over, but here are the biggest surprises so far.
First, it’s debatable whether Bohm should start at third base: He’s not a great fielder, having committed 10 errors already this season, and while his batting statistics are good, they’re not enough to warrant a spot in the U.S. starting lineup.
Henderson, who now plays shortstop exclusively for the Orioles to make way for Jordan Westberg (.849 OPS, 13 homers, 48 RBIs), has played third base more than 100 times in the major leagues and is the better option for the U.S. national team, and hypothetical U.S. national team manager Bruce Bochy might start Bobby Witt Jr. (.894 OPS, 12 homers, 53 RBIs) at shortstop.
Bohm and Westberg could be benched, but we’ll get to that later.
As for the DH position, there’s no reason to make the DH an actual career DH. Nothing against Schwarber, but he’s a slow base-runner, doesn’t play defense, and is a power hitter in a Team USA lineup already full of home run hitters.
The U.S. would be better off with Los Angeles Dodgers forward Freddie Freeman (.894 OPS, 12 homers, 50 RBIs) as the designated hitter, who can also play infield if needed.
Now, let’s look at the starting pitcher. Of course, ideally Team USA would have five starting pitchers instead of one. But who will be the starting pitcher? Gerrit Cole, the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner.
Sure, Cole has been injured this year, but he’s back in the majors and should be able to play a full pitch count by the time the Olympics start next month.
In 2023, Cole posted a 2.63 ERA with 222 strikeouts and a 0.98 WHIP. In the playoffs, he has a 2.93 ERA with 0.95 WHIP and 134 strikeouts in 17 starts. That’s impressive.
Wheeler will join the Orioles’ Corbin Burnes (2.28 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 99 strikeouts) and the Braves’ Chris Sale (2.79 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 118 strikeouts) and Max Fried (3.00 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 80 strikeouts).
On Team USA’s bench, Bohm and Westberg will both be utility infielders, although Westberg has never played a full season in the MLB. The backup catcher will be the Dodgers’ Will Smith (.805 OPS, 11 homers, 50 RBIs), and the backup outfielder for the USA will be the Pittsburgh Pirates’ Bryan Reynolds (.816 OPS, 13 homers, 46 RBIs).
Finally, about the bullpen.
The Washington Nationals’ Kyle Finnegan (2.23 ERA, 22 saves) has had several strong years under his belt that make him a leading candidate for the closer position, along with the Yankees’ Clay Holmes (2.45 ERA, 19 saves).
But Team USA may have to close the gap with Baltimore Orioles veteran Craig Kimbrel (2.45 ERA, 18 saves).
Other relief pitchers include Oakland Athletics young phenom Mason Miller (1.96 ERA, 14 saves), Astros’ Josh Hader (3.79 ERA, 11 saves) and Dodgers’ Evan Phillips (1.59 ERA, 13 saves).
Team USA also needs to have two long relievers available in case one of its starters gets blown out in the hypothetical Olympics, which is why they’re adding the St. Louis Cardinals’ Sonny Gray (2.81 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 103 strikeouts) and the Dodgers’ Tyler Glasnow (2.88 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 135 strikeouts).
The 2024 MLB All-Star Celebrity Softball Game is scheduled to take place on Saturday, July 13, but here’s a look back at the best and worst performances of the past.
So should we put together a starting lineup? Yes, we should.
- Gunnar Henderson, 3B
- Freddie Freeman, DH
- Aaron Judge, CF
- Bryce Harper, first baseman
- Mookie Betts, 2B
- Kyle Tucker, RF
- Adley Rutschman, C
- Bobby Witt Jr. SS
- Riley Green, LF
A lineup like this seems incredible, but baseball will return to the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said it would be “tough” to suspend the 2028 MLB season to allow major leaguers to compete in the Olympics, but Bryce Harper said he believes the season should be suspended and wants to play in the Olympics.
All we can do is hope that major leaguers will participate in the Olympics in 2028, but until then, it’s fun to just imagine.
