Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Will Smith will be suiting up for Team USA at the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Moreover, Smith has the opportunity to catch the best two pitchers in baseball in the Pittsburgh Pirates‘ Paul Skenes and the Detroit Tigers‘ Tarik Skubal.
Skubal and Skenes will benefit from having someone like Smith behind the plate, given his experience calling big games behind the plate. Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see how much playing time Smith gets as Team USA’s catcher, considering Seattle Mariners‘ Cal Raleigh will also be on the team.
Nonetheless, Smith didn’t hold back his thoughts about having Skubal and Skenes as teammates during the WBC.
“[Team USA has] got Skenes and Skubal, the last Cy Young winners,” Smith told reporters on Feb. 22 (h/t SportsNet LA). “I got to catch Skenes in the All-Star game last year, so looking forward to like keeping that going a little bit, and then Skubal, see what he does. I’ve faced him several times, not done well, so I hope it will help me on that side.”
Moreover, Smith will be reuniting with a former Dodgers pitcher, Clayton Kershaw, who is pausing his retirement to play with Team USA in hopes of ending his career by winning a gold medal for his country.
“I know he’s excited about it,” Smith added. “I’m excited he’s gonna be able to join us. I know he was bummed he couldn’t last time, so it’ll be, you know, a really cool experience for him and me. Yeah, trying to win a gold medal.”
Dodgers Reveal WBC Plan for Shohei Ohtani
Another Los Angeles player participating in the WBC is Shohei Ohtani. Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman shared the role Ohtani will play as he looks to help Team Japan repeat as WBC champions.
“With Sho, he’s going there to DH,” Friedman told reporters on Feb. 17 (h/t Dodgers Nation). “He’s not going to pitch in the World Baseball Classic. You know, we sat down and talked to him about it, and just coming off the surgery, coming off the year he had, pitching through October, just the quick turnaround at that kind of intensity coming off surgery.
“Then obviously we have designs of playing through October this year, with Sho being a big part of that on the mound. That, coupled with the idea that he wants to pitch for the next eight years, we want him to pitch for the next eight years, just trying to be really mindful of all of that. And so we sat down, had the conversation with him. He understood it. The competitor in him doesn’t love it, but he understood it.”
Will Smith Talks Kyle Tucker
Smith wasn’t only talking about Skenes and Skubal during his media scrum on Feb. 22. The Dodgers standout also had bold words for his new teammate, Kyle Tucker.
“I’ve seen him for six, seven years now,” Smith added. “[Tucker is] a good player. I’m glad he’s with us. He’s a really good hitter, a tough out. [He] has a really good feel for the strike zone. He’s got power [and] he’s a good outfielder as well. Steals bases. Just a really, really good player, and he’s gonna help us win a championship this year.”
Dodgers’ Will Smith Gets Blunt About Paul Skenes, Tarik Skubal