Aaron Judge Ready To Put Team USA Over The Top In WBC

Team USA came up just short in the 2023 WBC, eventually falling to Team Japan in the finals. But there is one big change between the 2023 squad and this one. The 2-time reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge.

Judge did not participate in 2023. A decision he said was because he didnt want to be away from the Yankees after just being named Team Captain.

“In 2023 being a free agent I didn’t know where I was going to go," Judge said. "Then coming back to the Yankees and being named the captain, I didn’t want to miss out on that first spring training being the captain, I wanted to be around the guys."

But now firmly entrenched as the Team Captain, he said it was the right time to compete, and the right time for Team USA to win.

“The time is now to do it. USA came up a little short (last time), but it’s an exciting group of guys," Judge said. "[Mark Derosa’s] got quite a squad he’s put together so far, so I’m looking forward to seeing what’s happened -- it’s pretty cool.”

Going into the 2023 WBC, the USA were reigning champions. But that tournament took place way back in 2017. The 2021 games were canceled due to the Covid Epidemic.

USA made it out of the knockout stage. In the knockout round, they beat Venezuela and crushed Cuba, on their way to the finals. But they ran into a behemoth in Team Japan, eventually losing a tight 3-2 game to the team led by Shohei Ohtani.

Judge is excited to see Japan, and to repeat that heavyweight bout.

“Definitely hoping to see them in the Finals,” Judge said. “They’re the reigning champs. They have a great squad coming back, so I think that’s why Team USA really bulked it up this year to go out there and take care of business. If they’re bringing back the same crew, it’s gonna be a heavyweight fight, that’s for sure.”

Games start on March 6th. Team USA is in Group B, where they will compete with Mexico, Italy, Great Britain, and Brazil. The top 2 teams move on to the Knockout Round, with 8 teams total.

Japan is in Pool C. That could set up a semi-final meeting for the two teams if they both win their pool. If one wins, and the other is the runner up and their pool, they would only meet in a Finals rematch.