On one hand, it’s hard for Team USA manager Mark DeRosa to go wrong when filling out his lineup card for the World Baseball Classic. On the other hand, while Team USA is practically an All-Star team, it’s clear that there is a best lineup for DeRosa to turn to, and, for whatever reason, the skipper has yet to do so. This remains the case on Monday, as Gunnar Henderson will begin Team USA’s critical pool game against Mexico on the bench.
Bullet point summary by AI
- Team USA faces Mexico in a critical WBC pool game that could decide their knockout round fate.
- Manager Mark DeRosa is choosing established All-Stars over a young star who outperformed them statistically.
- The decision risks alienating one of the team’s most potent offensive weapons during a high-stakes matchup.
Tonight’s starting lineup against Mexico!
— USA Baseball
Again, the guys who are playing over him (Alex Bregman and Brice Turang) are All-Stars. They deserve to be in the lineup. They’re not better than Henderson, though.
Mark DeRosa is disrespecting Gunnar Henderson by benching him
It’s not as if the U.S. couldn’t make room for Henderson. They could’ve played him at third base, a position at which he has a lot of experience, and benched Bregman. They could’ve played Henderson or Bregman at second base and benched Turang. There were ways to make it work.
It’d be one thing if this were the opening game of the WBC against a lackluster opponent, but it isn’t. This is a matchup against a 2-0 Mexico team that’s quite good, with a chance to clinch a spot in the knockout round of the tournament. Team USA should be running its best lineup out in this game, and while DeRosa might think this is the best group he has, he is wrong, because Henderson is one of the best players this team has.
Was 2025 a down year? Absolutely. Still, Henderson had a 121 OPS+, making him roughly 21 percent better than league average offensively, despite playing the entire season with a shoulder injury. His offensive numbers were at the same level as Bregman’s and Turang’s. The season prior, Henderson hit 37 home runs and finished fourth in the AL MVP balloting. The year before that, he was the AL Rookie of the Year. And in the only WBC game he’s played in thus far, Henderson looked like the best player on the field.
Gunnar Henderson: *Does this*
Mark DeRosa in USA’s most important pool play game: “Benched!”
— AT (@YankeeWRLD)
It’s hard enough to hit one baseball 105 mph in a game. Henderson did that four times, recording four hits in his five at-bats. His four hits are tied for the USA lead despite appearing in only one game. A fully healthy Henderson is one of the five or 10 best players in the sport. All indications are that he’s fully healthy. Leaving him on the bench in favor of inferior players in a game that could play a huge role in whether the USA advances is a mistake.
What Team USA’s ideal starting lineup should look like
| Batting Order | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bobby Witt Jr. | SS |
| 2 | Kyle Schwarber | DH |
| 3 | Aaron Judge | RF |
| 4 | Cal Raleigh | C |
| 5 | Gunnar Henderson | 3B |
| 6 | Byron Buxton | CF |
| 7 | Bryce Harper | 1B |
| 8 | Alex Bregman | 3B |
| 9 | Roman Anthony | LF |
Not only should Henderson be starting, but I truly believe he should be hitting in the upper half of the lineup. He’s that good. He could even hit as high as second in my view. Benching a player that good in favor of Turang and Bregman is just inexcusable. Look at their numbers since 2023.
| Statistic | Gunnar Henderson | Alex Bregman | Brice Turang |
|---|---|---|---|
| wRC+ | 133 | 122 | 95 |
| HR | 82 | 69 | 31 |
| OBP | .347 | .346 | .325 |
| fWAR | 17.3 | 12.1 | 6.8 |
I can understand DeRosa’s desire to respect a veteran like Bregman by playing him regularly. Respect for veterans is likely why Bryce Harper is hitting second. Turang is not a veteran, though, so what’s the reason for him to start over Henderson?
Admittedly, Turang is a much better player than his numbers since 2023 would indicate. He was one of the best hitters in the sport down the stretch of the 2025 season, and he offers elite speed and defense from the second base spot. I wouldn’t bat an eye one bit if he were to start over Bregman, I only chose Bregman to add more right-left balance. Turang still isn’t close to being better than Henderson.
DeRosa dropped the ball here. Is it likely to cost the USA in this game? No. Their team is still absurd. Still, Henderson has reason to be upset, and this could very well cost the team if Henderson remains out of the starting lineup as the tournament progresses.
