Who is Captain America? Mike Trout leads Team USA's unofficial rotating cast at World Baseball Classic

Edward Sutelan

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Who is Captain America? Mike Trout leads Team USA's unofficial rotating cast at World Baseball Classic image

Marvel had to decide whether it would Bucky Barnes or Sam Wilson that would pick up the shield after Steve Rogers was aged out at the end of "Avengers: Endgame." Team USA might need to ask Marvel to weigh in and come up with an official answer for its World Baseball Classic shield-bearer.

There was no disputing back in the 2013 World Baseball Classic that third baseman David Wright was Captain America for the squad. He led the team with a .438 batting average and all WBC players with 10 RBI.

Mike Trout, whose early announcement that he would be playing for Team USA in the 2023 WBC helped lead other star players to do the same, is Captain America, in a sense. On top of being one of the league's most talented players to set foot on a diamond, he is also literally captain of the team. That should be good enough to make it a unanimous sentiment, right?

Well, not so fast. Several other players have also been termed Captain America throughout this tournament, making the moniker shared with the First Avenger a bit more confusing.

MORE: World Baseball Classic 2023 schedule

Which players have been asked to carry Wright's shield? Here's a look at some of the players that have been called Captain America.

Who is Captain America?

Mike Trout

One would think this would be the obvious answer. But it's not that simple.

Trout is slashing .318/.444/.591 with a home run, seven RBI, four runs scored, five walks, nine strikeouts and a stolen base. Not too shabby to have an OPS over 1.000. And again, he is the only captain of the team.

When USA Baseball, MLB Network and Fox — the network carrying all the games — are all calling him Captain America, it's safe to say he's the true front-runner for the nickname.

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Trea Turner

But when it comes to clutch moments, Trea Turner has taken over the spotlight in the WBC. He hit a go-ahead grand slam against Venezuela and then hit two home runs in the semifinal against Cuba. 

He leads all WBC players with four home runs, which is also tied for the second-most in any tournament, and his 10 RBI are tied for the third-most in a tournament. Add that to his impressive slash line of .368/.429/1.000, and it's easy to see why some are taking to giving the new Phillies shortstop the nickname.

Lance Lynn

The only pitcher to crack the list, White Sox hurler Lance Lynn has gotten some love and has been hailed as Captain America. Lynn got the win in a 12-1 USA win over Canada in pool play after allowing one run over five innings on two hits with six strikeouts. He later held Venezuela to just two runs over the first four innings in the quarterfinal while striking out a pair and only allowing five baserunners on four hits and a walk.

His performance against Canada, in particular, is what really started the campaign for him to be Captain America.

MORE: Revisiting Ken Griffey Jr.'s dominant 2006 WBC performance

Kyle Schwarber

Before Turner, Phillie fans were pushing for Kyle Schwaber to be Captain America of the WBC. He hit a three-run homer against Great Britain in pool play, which proved to be the game-winning swing in a 6-2 victory.

Schwarber hasn't exactly had many other moments outside of that big swing — he's slashing .182/.438/.455 with that home run and three RBI — but at the time, he was the one leading the Americans against the British. That sounds like a 1700s Captain America.

Paul Goldschmidt

Like Turner, Paul Goldschmidt has been involved in a few clutch plays of late. Against Venezuela, he drove in a run in the first inning and finished the day with a pair of hits and another run scored. Against Cuba, he hit a go-ahead, two-run home run in the bottom of the first and came away from the semifinal win with two hits, four RBI, two runs scored and a walk.

The reigning NL MVP has been a reliable bat for Team USA with a slash of .333/.517/.524 with five RBI and eight runs scored. Being on the Cardinals? That's always going to get him a bit of a boost from one of baseball's most dedicated fanbases.

MORE: Has Team USA ever won the WBC?

Nolan Arenado

Cardinals fans are always going to be quick to rally around their own, especially when he comes up with some big hits. In the first inning against Canada in the first round, it was Nolan Arenado's two-run double that kicked off what would be a nine-run inning to propel Team USA to the win.

Yet another standout on a stacked Team USA lineup, Arenado has posted an OPS of 1.049 on a .391/.440/.609 slash with five RBI and five runs scored. Should Captain America be passed to another third baseman? Some seem to think so.

Kyle Tucker

Kyle Tucker as Captain America? The campaign isn't as strong as the others, but there are some out there calling for him to be the guy. His RBI single in the first inning, home run in the fifth and three-hit performance against Venezuela certainly helped get him some attention in the win-or-go-home game.

Maybe the campaign hasn't gotten strong yet, but his numbers have stood out for Team USA, as he has a .333/.353/.733 with four RBI and two runs scored in 15 at-bats. He just might need a few more followers to pick up steam.

Edward Sutelan

Edward Sutelan Photo

Edward Sutelan joined The Sporting News in 2021 after covering high school sports for PennLive. Edward graduated from The Ohio State University in 2019, where he gained experience covering the baseball, football and basketball teams. Edward also spent time working for The Columbus Dispatch and Cape Cod Times.