Team USA is entering the World Baseball Classic with an uphill hill to climb to reclaim its 2017 title.
Its pitching staff isn’t especially strong and Bryce Harper will be out as he continues to recover from Tommy John Surgery. However, there is plenty to look to watching on the Team USA roster, including Mike Trout, Mookie Betts, and Trea Turner. The star-power is very much in play, which has it among the favorites for the 2023 WBC.
Team USA avoided the dreaded Group D in Miami, which includes the likes of Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. Instead it will play in Group C in Phoenix, alongside Great Britain, Mexico, Canada, and Colombia.
All-in-all, there’s a 20-team field in the World Baseball Classic, up from 16 teams in the previous four iterations. The competition is going to be more staunch than ever, with the USA, Japan, and the Dominican Republic standing in the top tier of favorites.
MORE: Watch World Baseball Classic games live on fuboTV (free trial)
The United States’ schedule begins March 11 against Great Britain. Pool play will conclude March 15 against Colombia. If USA is to make it out of pools, it will need to finish either first or second.
The only guarantee for the United States is that its entire tournament will be played as a host country. If it makes it to the quarterfinals and, subsequently, the semifinals, it will be playing at LoanDepot Park in Miami.
How to watch the USA at the World Baseball Classic
- TV channels: Fox, FS1
- Live stream: FoxSports.com, fuboTV
The World Baseball Classic will be hosted on the Fox family of networks, specifically Fox, FS1, FS2, and Tubi.
The United States’ tournament will begin against Great Britain on Fox’s flagship station at 10 p.m. ET, 7 p.m. local time in Phoenix. From there, FS1 will broadcast the next three games. FuboTV will carry these games.
The United States will play four times in pools, beginning with Great Britain and concluding with Colombia.
| Date | Game | Time (ET) | Channel |
| March 11 | Great Britain vs. USA | 10 p.m. | Fox |
| March 12 | Mexico vs. USA | 10 p.m. | FS1 |
| March 13 | Canada vs. USA | 10 p.m. | FS1 |
| March 15 | USA vs. Colombia | 10 p.m. | FS1 |
Team USA World Baseball Classic 2023 roster
Mike Trout is easily the headliner for Team USA, but the Angels superstar is just one of several huge names taking the field for the United States.
Joining Trout in the outfield will be Mookie Betts and Kyle Schwarber, while Cedric Mullins is also on as another centerfielder and Kyle Tucker is an outstanding option in right.
MORE: WBC lineup decisions won’t be easy for Mark DeRosa with loaded USA roster
In the infield, newly-minted $100 million shortstop Trea Turner will give Phillies fans a sneak peek of what to expect from him come Opening Day. The Cardinals will be present on the corners with Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt. And Bobby Witt Jr. is following up his long-anticipated rookie year with some international ball.
The pitching staff lost Clayton Kershaw this week, so Lance Lynn comes up as the arguable ace of the starting staff. Behind him, Miles Mikolas, Kyle Freeland, Brady Singer, Merrill Kelly, and Adam Wainwright will have to pick up the slack.
Pitchers
| Player | Team | Throws |
| Jason Adam | Tampa Bay Rays | R |
| Daniel Bard | Colorado Rockies | R |
| David Bednar | Pittsburgh Pirates | R |
| Kyle Freeland | Colorado Rockies | L |
| Kendall Graveman | Chicago White Sox | R |
| Merrill Kelly | Arizona Diamondbacks | R |
| Lance Lynn | Chicago White Sox | R |
| Miles Mikolas | St. Louis Cardinals | R |
| Adam Ottavino | New York Mets | R |
| Ryan Pressly | Houston Astros | R |
| Brooks Raley | New York Mets | L |
| Brady Singer | Kansas City Royals | R |
| Adam Wainwright | St. Louis Cardinals | R |
| Devin Williams | Milwaukee Brewers | R |
Catchers
| Player | Team | Bats/Throws |
| Kyle Higashioka | New York Yankees | R/R |
| J.T. Realmuto | Philadelphia Phillies | R/R |
| Will Smith | Los Angeles Dodgers | R/R |
Infielders
| Player | Team | Position | Bats/Throws |
| Pete Alonso | New York Mets | 1B | R/R |
| Tim Anderson | Chicago White Sox | SS | R/R |
| Nolan Arenado | St. Louis Cardinals | 3B | R/R |
| Paul Goldschmidt | St. Louis Cardinals | 1B | R/R |
| Jeff McNeil | New York Mets | UTIL | R/R |
| Trea Turner | Philadelphia Phillies | SS | R/R |
| Bobby Witt Jr. | Kansas City Royals | SS | R/R |
Outfielders
| Player | Team | Position | Bats/Throws |
| Mookie Betts | Los Angeles Dodgers | RF | R/R |
| Cedric Mullins | Baltimore Orioles | CF | L/L |
| Kyle Schwarber | Philadelphia Phillies | LF | L/R |
| Mike Trout | Los Angeles Angels | CF | R/R |
| Kyle Tucker | Houston Astros | RF | L/R |
How does the World Baseball Classic work?
The World Baseball Classic will see four games of pools for every team. Pools are broken into A, B, C, and D. Pool A is being played in Chinese Taipei, Pool B will be in Tokyo, Pool C is in Phoenix, and Pool D is in Miami.
MORE: Why isn’t Clayton Kershaw pitching in the World Baseball Classic?
The top two seeds of each pool will advance, leaving eight total and 12 teams eliminated. This is different from past years, which spawned new pools after pool play concluded (pools E & F). Instead, there will just be quarterfinal and semifinal games, followed by the championship.
All games will take place over the course of two weeks — March 8 – March 21.
In the quarterfinals, the teams emerging from Pools A & B will play in Tokyo and the teams from Pools C & D will be in Miami.
World Baseball Classic 2023 schedule
Here’s a look at the full schedule for the World Baseball Classic.
Pool A (Chinese Taipei)
| Date | Time | Matchup | Channel |
| March 7 | 11 p.m. | Cuba vs. Netherlands | FS1 |
| March 8 | 6 a.m. | Panama vs. Chinese Taipei | FS2 |
| March 8 | 11 p.m. | Panama vs. Netherlands | FS2 |
| March 9 | 6 a.m. | Italy vs. Cuba | Tubi |
| March 9 | 11:30 p.m. | Cuba vs. Panama | FS1 |
| March 10 | 6 a.m. | Italy vs. Chinese Taipei | Tubi |
| March 10 | 11 p.m. | Panama vs. Italy | FS1 |
| March 11 | 6 a.m. | Netherlands vs. Chinese Taipei | FS2 |
| March 11 | 11 p.m. | Chinese Taipei vs. Cuba | FS2 |
| March 12 | 7 a.m. | Netherlands vs. Italy | FS2 |
Pool B (Tokyo)
| Date | Time | Matchup | Channel |
| March 8 | 10 p.m. | Australia vs. South Korea | FS1 |
| March 9 | 5 a.m. | China vs. Japan | FS2 |
| March 9 | 10 p.m. | Czech Republic vs. China | Tubi |
| March 10 | 5 a.m. | Korea vs. Japan | FS2 |
| March 10 | 10 p.m. | China vs. Australia | FS2 |
| March 11 | 5 a.m. | Czech Republic vs. Japan | FS1 |
| March 11 | 10 p.m. | Czech Republic vs. Korea | FS1 |
| March 12 | 6 a.m. | Japan vs. Australia | FS1 |
| March 12 | 11 p.m. | Australia vs. Czech Republic | FS2 |
| March 13 | 6 a.m. | Korea vs. China | FS2 |
Pool C (Phoenix)
| Date | Time | Matchup | Channel |
| March 11 | 2:30 p.m. | Colombia vs. Mexico | Fox |
| March 11 | 10 p.m. | Great Britain vs. USA | Fox |
| March 12 | 3 p.m. | Great Britain vs. Canada | FS1 |
| March 12 | 10 p.m. | Mexico vs. USA | FS1 |
| March 13 | 3 p.m. | Colombia vs. Great Britain | FS2 |
| March 13 | 10 p.m. | Canada vs. USA | FS1 |
| March 14 | 3 p.m. | Canada vs. Colombia | FS2 |
| March 14 | 10 p.m. | Great Britain vs. Mexico | FS1 |
| March 15 | 3 p.m. | Mexico vs. Canada | FS2 |
| March 15 | 10 p.m. | USA vs. Colombia | FS1 |
Pool D (Miami)
| Date | Time | Matchup | Channel |
| March 11 | 12 p.m. | Nicaragua vs. Puerto Rico | FS2 |
| March 11 | 7 p.m. | Dominican Republic vs. Venezuela | FS1 |
| March 12 | 12 p.m. | Nicaragua vs. Israel | FS2 |
| March 12 | 7 p.m. | Venezuela vs. Puerto Rico | FS1 |
| March 13 | 12 p.m. | Dominican Republic vs. Nicaragua | FS2 |
| March 13 | 7 p.m. | Israel vs. Puerto Rico | FS1 |
| March 14 | 12 p.m. | Nicaragua vs. Venezuela | FS2 |
| March 14 | 7 p.m. | Israel vs. Dominican Republic | FS2 |
| March 15 | 12 p.m. | Venezuela vs. Israel | FS2 |
| March 15 | 7 p.m. | Puerto Rico vs. Dominican Republic | FS2 |
MORE: 2023 World Baseball Classic: 10 pitcher-hitter matchups we can’t wait to see
Quarterfinals
| Date | Time | Site | Matchup | Channel |
| March 15 | 6 a.m. | Tokyo | Pool B runner-up vs. Pool A winner | FS2 |
| March 16 | 6 a.m. | Tokyo | Pool A runner-up vs. Pool B winner | FS2 |
| March 17 | 7 p.m. | Miami | Pool C runner-up vs. Pool D winner | FS1 |
| March 18 | 7 p.m. | Miami | Pool D runner-up vs. Pool C winner | Fox |
Semifinals
| Date | Time | Venue | Matchup | Channel |
| March 19 | 7 p.m. | Miami | Quarterfinal 1 winner vs. Quarterfinal 3 winner | FS1 |
| March 20 | 7 p.m. | Miami | Quarterfinal 2 winner vs. Quarterfinal 4 winner | FS1 |
Championship
| Date | Time | Venue | Matchup | Channel |
| March 21 | 7 p.m. | Miami | Semifinal 1 winner vs. Semifinal 2 winner | FS1 |