Bobby Witt Jr. is 'All in' for Team USA at World Baseball Classic

October 6th, 2022

It won't be the first time Bobby Witt Jr. has pulled on the Team USA jersey, but it will be with more eyes on him than ever before. After finishing his rookie season with the Royals on Wednesday, MLB Pipeline's preseason No. 1 prospect announced on Thursday that he intends to play for Team USA at the World Baseball Classic next spring.

Witt, who knocked out 20 home runs and stole 30 bases with Kansas City this year, had previously played on USA Baseball's U-18 team at the Pan-American Championships in 2018. He took home the MVP Award after hitting .576 with three triples, three home runs and 18 runs scored, even hitting for the cycle in the gold medal game against Panama.

The Royals infielder will look to help the United States win back-to-back World Baseball Classic titles, one-upping his father along the way. His father, former pitcher Bobby Witt Sr., won a silver medal with Team USA at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Though rosters won't be official until later this offseason, here is how the Team USA roster looks as of today: 

C: J.T. Realmuto, Will Smith
1B: Pete Alonso, Paul Goldschmidt
2B: Trevor Story
SS: Tim Anderson
3B: Nolan Arenado, Bobby Witt Jr. 
OF: Mookie Betts, Cedric Mullins, Mike Trout, Kyle Tucker
SP: Merrill Kelly
RP: David Bednar, Dillon Tate, Devin Williams

The United States will begin Pool C play on March 11 in Phoenix. It'll face Colombia, Canada, Mexico and a yet-to-be-determined team.