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Cubs Outfielder To Represent Team USA In 2026 World Baseball Classic

Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong will play for Team USA in the 2026 World Baseball Classic next March.
Benjamin Rosenberg|
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The World Baseball Classic is due to return in March 2026, and the Chicago Cubs will be represented on Team USA's roster.

USA Baseball announced Thursday night that Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong will be on the American team's roster for the 2026 WBC, which will begin on March 5. Team USA, playing in Pool B, faces Brazil in its first game on March 6 at Daikin Park, home of the Houston Astros.

Crow-Armstrong has been with the U.S. national team pool since 2014, when he was a member of the 12U squad that won a silver medal at the COPABE Pan-American Championships in Mexico. In 2017, he played for the 15U national team at the same event, helping Team USA to a co-championship.

The year after that, Crow-Armstrong batted .375 with 14 runs scored at the 2018 WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup Americas Qualifier, earning him a spot on the U-18 World Cup roster in 2019. He started in center field and batting leadoff in eight of Team USA's nine games, hitting .364 with four doubles, three stolen bases and nine runs scored. He also made home run-robbing catches against Chinese Taipei and Australia.

The New York Mets drafted Crow-Armstrong 19th overall in the 2020 MLB Draft out of Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles, and then traded him for shortstop Javier Baez in July 2021. Crow-Armstrong made his MLB debut late in the 2023 season and began receiving regular playing time in the summer of 2024.

He broke out with a stellar all-around season in 2025, finishing with 31 home runs and 35 stolen bases to become the Cubs' first 30-30 player since Sammy Sosa in 1995. Crow-Armstrong played Gold Glove defense in center field, finishing with 6.0 WAR according to Baseball-Reference, and was ninth in National League MVP voting.

Pete Crow-Armstrong sliding catch
David Banks-Imagn Images

The World Baseball Classic is the largest international baseball tournament in the world, with the first edition played in 2006. Japan has won the event three times, including the most recent tournament in 2023, while the Dominican Republic and USA have each won once. The 2023 WBC featured the most memorable ending yet, with Japan's Shohei Ohtani striking out Team USA's Mike Trout to seal a 3-2 victory for the Japanese team.

In addition to Brazil, Team USA's poll also includes Mexico, Italy and Great Britain. Depending on when Crow-Armstrong leaves Spring Training to join the national team, he could get a sneak peak at Team Italy, which will face the Cubs in an exhibition game on March 3.

The top two teams in each pool advance to the knockout stage, with the quarterfinals to be played in Houston and Miami on March 13 and 14. The semifinals and championship will be held at loanDepot Park, home of the Miami Marlins.

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Benjamin Rosenberg
BENJAMIN ROSENBERG

Benjamin Rosenberg attended his first game at Wrigley Field before he even knew what a baseball was, and has maintained a strong passion for baseball and the Cubs ever since. He grew up in both suburban Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area, and graduated with both bachelor’s and master's degrees in journalism from Northwestern University in 2021. Benjamin has covered just about every high school and college sport imaginable all over the United States, with a particular focus on softball. He was named the 2022 New Hampshire Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association.

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