“He’s the one” - Mike Trout endorses Aaron Judge as Team USA captain for WBC 2026
Manager Mark DeRosa announced on Monday that Aaron Judge will be the captain of Team USA for the 2026 World Baseball Classic. DeRosa emphasized Judge's leadership and sought approval from former captain Mike Trout before making the decision public.
SNY shared a clip of DeRosa and Judge discussing the announcement during a press conference.
"I felt like I watched Mike Trout walk out against Japan holding the flag, and I want you to be that guy," DeRosa said. So I reached out to Trout yesterday and told him where we were going, and he said, "He's the one."
Judge, the reigning American League MVP, has expressed his desire to compete in the World Baseball Classic in 2026.
The WBC manager then made his excitement known about leading Team USA.
"I couldn't be more fired up for Aaron Judge to be the captain for Team USA," DeRosa added
Team USA suffered a loss to Japan in the 2023 WBC championship game, and it was Mike Trout who struck out in the final at-bat.
Aaron Judge expresses excitement about leading Team USA in WBC
Aaron Judge did not play for Team USA in 2023 as he was trying to figure out free agency. He was determined to play for his home country this time around, and it's an even bigger honor to be named a captain.
Judge joined MLB Network to discuss the news and expressed excitement about leading the team.
"It wasn't the best sitting at home, watching Team USA battle. I wanted to be there. I was kind of in the middle of free agency, but I was looking forward to this opportunity again. Getting a chance to represent and be the captain, something that Trouty did the last time, is a pretty special honor."
"Just getting a chance to represent this country. What this country means to me. ... Now getting the chance to have USA across my chest and represent all the great people in our country. ... It's a great opportunity."
Now that a captain has been named, it will be time for Team USA to continue to work on filling out the rest of the roster.