Where Did Each Player on USA’s World Baseball Classic Roster Go to High School?

The Team USA baseball roster is set for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, which begins this week.

The Americans are on a quest for the gold medal after they lost 3-2 to Japan in the 2023 WBC championship game. USA last won a WBC title in 2017.

Team USA opens up its WBC play against Brazil at 8 p.m. Friday at Daikin Park in Houston.

It is known which Major League Baseball team each Team USA player calls home. But where did each player go to high school?

Here is the list:

Pitchers

David Bednar, Mars Area (PA)

MLB team: New York Yankees

An All-Section nod and All-Pittsburgh Post-Gazette honoree for the Planets, Bednar went 13-2 with 145 strikeouts in 101.1 innings pitched. As a senior, he compiled a 4-2 record with a 0.95 earned-run average.

Matthew Boyd, Mercer Island and Eastside Catholic (WA)

MLB team: Chicago Cubs

Boyd was a team captain and MVP in his junior and senior seasons. In 2005, he was the recipient of the Sean M. Burden Award, which honors the outstanding male athlete of the sports season.

Garrett Cleavinger, Lawrence (KS)

MLB team: Tampa Bay Rays

Cleavinger helped the Lions capture a state title in 2009 and regional crowns in 2011 and 2012. He received plenty of accolades, including the Sunflower League Player of the year and a first-team nod, as well as all-state recognition.

Clay Holmes, Slocomb (AL)

MLB team: New York Mets

Holmes posted an 11-5 record with 126 strikeouts in his junior season for the Red Tops. In his senior campaign, he was named the Alabama Baseball Coaches Association Student Athlete of the Year.

Griffin Jax, Cherry Creek (CO)

MLB team: Tampa Bay Rays

Jax went 7-1 with a 1.74 ERA and was named Colorado’s Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year in his 2013 senior season for the Bruins.

Brad Keller, Flowery Branch (GA)

MLB team: Philadelphia Phillies

Keller was a solid pitcher for the Falcons and a highly-touted recruit before entering the professional ranks.

Clayton Kershaw, Highland Park (TX)

MLB team: Retired

Kershaw was an elite high school prospect for the Scots. In a playoff game against Northwest, Kershaw pitched a perfect game and struck out 15 batters. In 2006, he posted a 13-0 record with a 0.77 ERA and 139 strikeouts in 64 innings pitched. Kershaw was named the Gatorade National Player of the Year and USA Today’s High School Baseball Player of the Year, and he also pitched for USA’s U-18 team in the 2005 Pan American Championships.

Nolan McLean, Garner Magnet (NC)

MLB team: New York Mets

A native of Willow Spring, North Carolina, McLean compiled a 2.05 ERA and 88 strikeouts in 54.2 through 53 career games for the Trojans. He also batted .381 with 12 home runs and a .719 OPS.

Mason Miller, Bethel Park (PA)

MLB team: San Diego Padres

Miller was homeschooled but still played for the Hawks. He lettered twice in baseball.

Paul Skenes, El Toro (CA)

MLB team: Pittsburgh Pirates

Aside from pitching, Skenes also played catcher, first base and third base for the Chargers. As a junior, Skenes had a 0.67 ERA and earned all-star recognition from the Coast View Athletic Association, Orange County, the CIF Southern Section and the state of California. Skenes posted 0.33 ERA in his senior campaign, but the season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tarik Skubal, Kingman Academy of Learning (AZ)

MLB team: Detroit Tigers

Skubal, a native of Hayward, California, moved to Arizona when he was a teenager and attended Kingman Academy of Learning. He was not highly recruited out of high school, but his fastball ranged from 85-87 miles-per-hour and maxed out around 92 MPH.

Gabe Speier, Dos Pueblos (CA)

MLB team: Seattle Mariners

Speier, a native of Santa Barbara, was a dominant pitcher for the Chargers. As a senior, he had 87 strikeouts in 57.2 innings pitched and also recorded a .412 batting average.

Michael Wacha, Pleasant Grove (TX)

MLB team: Kansas City Royals

A native of Iowa City, Iowa, Wacha played high school baseball in Texas. In his junior and senior seasons for the Hawks, he posted respective 16-3 and 6-3 records. Wacha was a two-time all-state selection and received all-state first-team and all-state tournament honors.

Logan Webb, Rocklin (CA)

MLB team: San Francisco Giants

Webb had a 0.49 ERA and 73 strikeouts in 57.2 innings pitched in his senior season for the Thunder. His fastball also reached 96 MPH. Webb went on to earn Sacramento Bee All-Metro and Cal-Hi Sports All-State honors.

Garrett Whitlock, Providence Christian Academy (GA)

MLB team: Boston Red Sox

Whitlock recorded a school record 0.56 ERA while going 6-2 in his senior campaign for the Storm. As a junior, Whitlock had 1.95 ERA and a .369 batting average.

Ryan Yarbrough, All Saints Academy (FL)

MLB team: New York Yankees

Yarbrough was a standout pitcher for the Saints before he moved on to the college and professional ranks.

Catchers

Cal Raleigh, Knoxville Catholic (TN) and Smoky Mountain (NC)

MLB team: Seattle Mariners

Raleigh, a Harrisonburg, Virginia native, attended Knoxville Catholic HS before he transferred to Smoky Mountain. In his senior season for the Mustangs, Raleigh hit .469 with 10 home runs and 20 stolen bases. He received All-American honors from Louisville Slugger, MaxPreps and Under Armour.

Will Smith, Kentucky Country Day (KY)

MLB team: Los Angeles Dodgers

Smith had a dominant senior season as a two-way player for the Bearcats. He hit .528 with 11 homers and 36 runs batted in, and went 7-1 with a 0.87 ERA on the mound.

Infielders

Alex Bregman, Albuquerque Academy (NM)

MLB team: Chicago Cubs

Bregman batted .678 with a state-record 19 homers in his junior season for the Chargers. When he was a sophomore in 2010, he became the first high schooler to win the USA Baseball Player of the Year Award.

Ernie Clement, Brighton (NY)

MLB team: Toronto Blue Jays

Clement, a Rochester native and three-time all-state honoree, holds Brighton’s school records for batting average (.464), hits (87), doubles (34) and stolen bases (38). He also had a school-record .560 batting average in a single season.

Paul Goldschmidt, The Woodlands (TX)

MLB team: New York Yankees

A Wilmington, Delaware native, Goldschmidt was a third baseman and an elite power hitter for the Highlanders. He helped guide The Woodlands to a 38-1 record and a state title in 2006.

Bryce Harper, Las Vegas HS (NV)

MLB team: Philadelphia Phillies

Harper was cited as a five-tool player and one of the most highly-touted prospects in recent baseball history. In 2009, he was named Baseball America’s high school player of the year.

Gunnar Henderson, Morgan Academy (AL)

MLB team: Baltimore Orioles

Henderson, the Alabama Player of the Year in 2019, batted .559 with 17 doubles, nine triples, 11 homers, 32 stolen bases, 69 runs scored and 75 RBI in his senior season for the Senators.

Brice Turang, Santiago (CA)

MLB team: Milwaukee Brewers

Turang was a top-notch performer for the Sharks. As a freshman, he hit .475 with two homers and 27 RBI. In his junior season, Turang batted .465 and struck out once in 101 at-bats.

Bobby Witt Jr., Colleyville (TX)

MLB team: Kansas City Royals

Witt hit .446 with 10 homers in his junior season for the Panthers. In 2018, he won the High School Home Run Derby at Nationals Park. As a senior, Witt hit .515 with 15 homers, 54 RBI and 17 stolen bases and went on to receive the Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year award.

Outfielders

Roman Anthony, Stoneman Douglas (FL)

MLB team: Boston Red Sox

Anthony batted .363 with five homers, six doubles, 22 RBI, 26 stolen bases and 32 runs scored in his junior season for the Eagles.

Byron Buxton, Appling County (GA)

MLB team: Minnesota Twins

In his senior campaign for the Pirates, Buxton hit .513 with 38 stolen bases, 40 hits and 37 RBI. On the mound, he had a 10-1 record with 154 strikeouts in 81 innings pitched.

Pete Crow-Armstrong, Harvard-Westlake (CA)

MLB team: Chicago Cubs

In 2019, PCA was named the Los Angeles Times Player of the Year when he hit .395 with three homers, 23 RBI and 47 hits in his junior season for the Wolverines. He batted .514 as a senior before his season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aaron Judge, Linden (CA)

MLB team: New York Yankees

Judge was a pitcher and first baseman for the Lions. In his senior season, he hit .500 with seven homers and 32 RBI. On the mound, Judge had a 6-0 record with a 0.88 ERA and 65 strikeouts.

Designated Hitter

Kyle Schwarber, Middletown (OH)

MLB team: Philadelphia Phillies

Schwarber compiled a .408 batting average, 18 homers and 103 RBI in his four seasons with the Middies.

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