Upcoming Cal Raleigh-Aaron Judge WBC showcase is the team-up baseball needs right now

Cal Raleigh had a year for the ages, but it still wasn't enough to secure the AL MVP over Aaron Judge, who won for the third time in four years. One could argue that Raleigh was the rightful winner because of his monumental defensive obligations and lost due to "East Coast bias" but that might not be the case. Ultimately, it's hard to argue that someone who posted a 215 OPS+ over 679 plate appearances and accumulated 9.7 rWAR (1st in MLB) got the inside track unfairly, even if Raleigh received co-signs from major figures in the sport.

The two will get another chance to compete against each other for the award in 2026 but before that, they'll actually be wearing the same uniform, albeit for a brief time. Aaron Judge was named as the captain of the United States team for the World Baseball Classic early last year. Shortly after winning the Home Run Derby, Raleigh got his own invitation. These two alone make a formidable duo, and they'll be backed by a stellar supporting cast.

Led by Cal Raleigh and Aaron Judge, Team USA is looking untouchable heading into the 2026 World Baseball Classic

The two newest members of the team are Corbin Carroll and Pete Crow-Armstrong, two of the game's best outfielders. With Paul Skenes and Bobby Witt Jr. also on the roster, it seems like it'll only be a matter of time before other young American superstars opt in.

It shouldn't be surprising that the country's best players are finally participating. The last tournament in 2023 finally saw big names like Mike Trout and Mookie Betts participate, and both players had rave reviews of the experience.

"This is the [most fun] experience I've had in baseball, to represent your country...It's been a blast. Being part of this atmosphere means a lot to me. I knew going in it was going to be a fun time. I never knew it was going to be this fun."

Mike Trout

Like Trout and Betts, Raleigh and Judge are elite players who have spoken very highly of each other this year. While the fans may have gotten swept away by the competitiveness of the MVP race, Raleigh spoke incredibly highly of Judge in July, while Judge recently returned the favor by giving Raleigh his flowers during his MVP acceptance speech.

Mariners and Yankees fans haven't always gotten along, and the bigger market team has historically gotten their way when the two franchises match up. However, for the first time since Derek Jeter and Ken Griffey Jr. teamed up for the 2006 iteration of the tournament, both organizations will see their star players team up to represent the stars and stripes. The debate of who should've gotten the MVP award may still be unclear come next March but fans of both teams can come together to support Team USA.