Courtesy of Rob Tringali
The Summer Paris Olympics are quickly approaching. Since Major League Baseball is in full swing, baseball will not be an Olympic sport this year. While it is not part of the Olympics this year, these are some players who would be a good fit to represent their respective countries.
Dominican Republic
Fernando Tatís Jr. - Right fielder for the Padres
Juan Soto - Right fielder for the Yankees
Elly De La Cruz - Shortstop for the Reds
Julio Rodríguez - Center fielder for the Mariners
Fernando Tatís Jr. is a strongly skilled player. He made his MLB debut in 2019 and has hit 120 home runs since then.
Sending Juan Soto to the Olympics would be a no-brainer. He is one of the best in the MLB and is only 26 years old. He has been in the majors since 2018 and has hit 180 home runs. While Tatís and Soto play the same position, they are both viable options.
Elly De La Cruz is one of the fastest in the league right now. He was brought up to the MLB a little over a year ago and has already stolen 75 bases. His speed would be great on an Olympic team.
Julio Rodríguez has been a star for the Mariners since he made his big league start in 2022. He made the American League All-Star team his first year in the league and again in 2023. Rodríguez has been in a lull this season but is overall still a strong player. His current batting average is .244.
Courtesy of Sports Illustrated
USA
Gunnar Henderson - Shortstop for the Orioles
Aaron Judge - Center fielder for the Yankees
Bryce Harper - First baseman for the Phillies
Mike Trout - Center fielder/DH for the Angels
Gunnar Henderson has been absolutely killing it as he has been in the league for almost two years. Not only is he a great hitter, he is amazing at shortstop.
Aaron Judge would be another obvious choice. He is having a phenomenal season with already 32 home runs. He was the first to hit 30 home runs in the MLB this season. Judge has an insane batting average of .321.
Bryce Harper would be another good choice. He is currently hitting .303 and has 20 home runs. While the Phillies are a good team, Harper definitely leads them.
Mike Trout carries his team and does a great job for them. He has been with the Angels since he got drafted back in 2009 and has hit 378 home runs.
Courtesy of Chris Coduto
Canada
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. - First baseman for the Blue Jays
Freddie Freeman - First baseman for the Dodgers
While Guerrero Jr. and Freeman both play first base, they would be excellent options. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has a batting average of .298 so far this year with 13 home runs. In his five years in the league, he has hit 143 home runs. Guerrero Jr. would be great on the Olympic team since he is a great home run hitter.
Freddie Freeman is currently hitting .297 and had 12 home runs alone with 53 RBIs. He has been a National League All-Star seven times.
Courtesy of amNewYork
Venezuela
Ronald Acuña Jr. - Right fielder for the Braves
José Altuve - Second baseman for the Astros
Ronald Acuña Jr is such a fun and exciting player to watch. He has stolen 196 bases and has 165 home runs in his six years in the majors. Acuña was the National League MVP for 2023.
José Altuve is such a great player overall. So far this season he is hitting .304, which is not far off from his career average of .307. Altuve has been in the majors for 13 years and has been an All-Star nine times.
Edited by Giana Robertaccio