Cal Raleigh joins Team USA for the 2026 World Baseball Classic
SEATTLE - Cal Raleigh will represent Team USA at the 2026 World Baseball Classic, he announced Monday.
Big Dumper will be behind the dish for the red, white and blue for the first time in his career, and is just the second Seattle Mariner to make the U.S. WBC roster.
What we know:
Raleigh announced he would play for the U.S. hours before he takes the plate for the MLB Home Run Derby, and one day before he makes his All-Star debut as the AL's starting catcher.
He is the current MLB home run leader, going yard 38 times, and has been putting up numbers for an MVP-caliber season with 82 RBI and a 1.010 OPS in addition to his league-leading homers. Raleigh is also on pace to blow out his career high of 100 RBIs that he set last season, and to set the AL single-season home run record with 64, surpassing Aaron Judge's 62 in 2022.
Big picture view:
Raleigh will play under former major-leaguer Mark DeRosa, who managed Team USA at the 2023 WBC where they fell 3-2 to Japan in the championship.
He joins New York Yankees slugger and Team USA captain Aaron Judge, Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. and Pittsburg Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes, as the fourth player to commit to the roster for the upcoming tournament.
The 2026 World Baseball Classic will run from March 5 to March 17, 2026, in Houston, Miami, Tokyo and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Team USA is in Pool B, and will play games in Houston against Brazil, Great Britain, Italy and Mexico to be one of the top two teams that advance to the quarterfinals.
Local perspective:
Big Dumper is the second Mariner to make the Team USA WBC roster, but could be the first to see playing time.
Pitcher Drew Smyly was traded to the Mariners in 2017, and made the WBC-winning Team USA roster, but as a player in the designated pitchers' pool, instead of the active roster. Smyly began his time with the Mariners on the disabled list, and would have his season with Seattle end before he had even started a game after sustaining a torn UCL.
What's next:
Team USA will play its first 2026 World Baseball Classic game vs Brazil on March 6 in Houston.
Coverage of the MLB All-Star Game will begin at 4 p.m. Tuesday on FOX>
The Source: Information in this article is from the MLB and the Seattle Mariners.
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