Wednesday, July 30

ST. LOUIS -- Team USA’s entry into the 2026 World Baseball Classic already has its headline-grabbing, key pillars with Aaron Judge and Paul Skenes committed to the effort.

Mike Trout and Bobby Witt Jr., holdovers from the 2023 USA squad that finished runner-up to Shohei Ohtani (and Lars Nootbaar) and Japan, are also expected to return to the roster and serve in major leadership roles. 

Hype has also started to swell about the potential candidacies of superstars Bryce Harper, Mookie Betts, Kyle Schwarber, Corbin Carroll, Austin Riley, Gunnar Henderson and reigning American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal. 

However, what the USA entry still lacks, to this point anyway, is some certified grit, stubborn toughness and someone who admittedly gets chills by simply thinking about pulling on that jersey with U.S.A. splashed across the chest. 

Brendan Donovan, St. Louis’ version of Captain America, would be right for the USA squad for so many reasons, and he would quickly become manager Mark DeRosa’s favorite player -- much the way he is Oliver Marmol’s trusty security blanket on the Cardinals -- with his indefatigable work ethic. 

After all, how many of those superstar players could split time at any of the four infield positions or in the corners of the outfield? How many of them would be willing to hit anywhere in the lineup and still provide the kind of at-bats of someone who entered Saturday with fewer swings and misses (35) than hits (54)? And long-time followers of these kinds of all-star teams know that the No. 1 requirement of players on this squad is buy-in. 

Donovan -- who hails from a life-long military family and is someone who spends loads of his own time supporting veteran causes and often wears a stars-and-stripes headband under his hat -- wants that Team USA appointment dearly. Like, almost more than he’s ever wanted anything in baseball. 

“To be able to put that USA across your chest … that’s something I would strongly consider,” Donovan told MLB.com. “Obviously, seeing my dad put on a very different kind of uniform every day -- that flag means everything to our family. My dad represented his country overseas and here in the states in a very different way. But to be able to do something like that and represent my country, that would be extremely special.” 

Donovan, the driving force on a Cardinals team that came into Sunday having won 12 of 13 games, certainly has the credentials to support a bid. Not only is he the only rookie in the rich history of the Cardinals to win a Gold Glove, he also hasn’t made an error in 44 games. He’s done that while making 27 starts at second base, 10 starts in left field and five starts at shortstop. 

At the plate, the 28-year-old Donovan has been just as solid. Going into Saturday’s play, his .321 batting average ranked fourth in the National League. Donovan was also tied for first in hits (54) and tied for second in doubles (14). With a potential right-handed-heavy lineup of Judge, Trout, Betts and Witt Jr., Donovan’s left-handed bat would be welcomed. He’s hit .350 off right-handers this season, and his average with runners in scoring position is up to .333. 

Considering “Donnie Baseball’s” love of country and love of competing, no one would be a better fit on Team USA, teammate and close friend Alec Burleson said. 

“Donnie is super proud of how his dad represented the country, and he still does all kinds of work with veterans,” Burleson said of Donovan, who is a spokesman for “Team Red White and Blue” and is expected to host a group from the Veterans Community Project at Busch Stadium on Monday. “If there’s anybody who would be proud of wearing that USA jersey -- not just because it means you are one of the best baseball players in your country, but also because of what it represents -- it would be Donnie.” 

Always selfless, Donovan wants to represent Team USA because of the attention it might shine on the service of his father, U.S. Army Col. James (Jim) Donovan, and countless others.     

“That would be the purest form of baseball … playing for your country,” Donovan said. “You’re not worried about money, you’re not worried about politics and you’re not worried about anything but, ‘How can I win this game for my country?’ 

“I heard Skenes talking about it when he said he wore that USA jersey with camo (while at LSU), and that’s something that would really resonate with me. I’d see my dad put on his boots every day, and it could be kind of the same with me. The boots and the cleats are different, but it’s the same kind of pride. So it would be special if that opportunity ever came.”   

It’s well-documented how much Cardinals shortstop Masyn Winn loves hitting off lefties. Proof of that can be seen in Winn hitting 10 of his 22 career home runs off southpaws despite having far fewer at-bats in those situations. 

Winn showed off his ability to do damage against lefties this past Monday when he hit a tie-breaking, go-ahead home run off Phillies All-Star reliever Matt Strahm. 

Winn’s secret: Paying attention to how Strahm attacked right-hander Jose Barrero two batters earlier. When Winn saw that Strahm went with an inside slider and elevated fastball to end the at-bat against Barrero, his senses fired when the Phillies’ reliever started him off with an inside slider for a strike. The next pitch was an elevated fastball, and Winn hit it into the seats in left field to give St. Louis the lead for good in a 3-2 win. 

“Sometimes guys get caught up in watching their previous at-bats on iPads and miss out on watching the game, but our [coaches] do a good job of encouraging guys to, ‘Hey, watch the guys before you and see what the [pitcher] has working, what he doesn’t have working and what he’s going to,’” Marmol said of the 23-year-old Winn’s baseball IQ. “Our young guys have taken to actually watching the game. 

“Masyn is really in tune with the game. Even when I went out there for a pitching change [on Monday], he was in tune with what was going on. He’s having conversations on the mound [about hitters] before anybody’s even talking about it. He has such a good understanding of the game.”         

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