2018 FIFA World Cup Lineup
With the 2018 FIFA World Cup officially underway in Russia, without team USA this year, I really feel as if I don’t care who wins or not. With that said, I started thinking which baseball players today would make the best Starting XI in the ultimate match for the World Cup.
Let’s set up in a 4-3-3 formation, with the focus on setting the tone on defense. The obvious first two choices, are the two monsters from the Bronx: Aaron Judge, and Giancarlo Stanton. Their size, combined with their athletic abilities, would make them an unstoppable force in the defensive middle. Sticking with size, I knew I wanted another defender that is big, but also athletic, so I went with another home run hitting outfielder in J.D. Martinez, another wing defender.
The wildcard, on the defensive unit, without a doubt, would be another defensive wing in Ozzie Albies. Being able to throw a wildcard at the opponent to throw off their scouting with Albies, a solid, speedy, agile defender is a luxury to have.
Defensive Unit
- Aaron Judge – Yankees
- Giancarlo Stanton – Yankees
- J.D. Martinez – Red Sox
- Ozzie Albies – Braves
Now as we move up the pitch, we get to arguably the most important positions on the squad, the midfielders. No doubt, the first selection for center-mid is Mr. WAR himself, Mike Trout. Do I really even need to break down just how athletic he is? The man does everything that is needed to win, easily the kind of midfielder that would lead the league in assists.
On the left side, with more of a defensive-midfielder in mind, will be Jose Altuve. What he lacks in size, we all know he makes up for in athletic ability and desire to win. My third and final midfielder, who would be more of an offensive middie, is Bryce Harper. He makes baseball fun to watch with his style and charisma, let alone his insane talent.
Bryce is the kind of guy who would score an insane goal from 35-yards out just because he thought he had a shot at net; and then would celebrate better than anyone in the stands would. Not to mention his wife, Kayla, is a former Ohio State soccer standout, sure she would be giving him advice.
Midfielders
- Mike Trout – Angels
- Jose Altuve – Astros
- Bryce Harper – Nationals
Moving to our forwards was the easiest to chose from. At left wing, speedy Lorenzo Cain will utilize his speed/power combo. Over his eight years in the bigs, he averages almost 30 stolen bases a season. Right wing is one of this year’s early MVP candidates, Mookie Betts, like Cain, in averaging just under 30 SBs a year while putting up a MVP type 2018 season. He would be the kind of forward that would just find a way to score no matter what, by always getting himself in the right place at the right time.
The final striker choice might as well be the most obvious choice on this list, Dee Gordon. He is a base stealing machine, might just be the fastest guy in the game today, and is an overall freak athlete. I think with the ten players listed here, he would finish the tournament second in goals, just behind Harper, because Harper would just find a way to make sure he led every other team in goals.
Forwards
- Lorenzo Cain – Brewers
- Mookie Betts – Red Sox
- Dee Gordon – Mariners
Now that we have our ten players in the field, it comes down to arguably the most important position on the pitch, the goalkeeper. When thinking about who would be the keeper, I first thought about either Buster Posey or Gary Sanchez, as the goalie and catcher correlation can easily be made, but nope. Since this is a MLB team that we are taking to the World Cup, let’s think bigger. And when thinking of bigger, all signs point in one direction, Big Sexy, Bartolo Colon.
First of all, the dude is now pitching into his SIXTH World Cup. Yes, his sixth. Making his debut in 1997, Colon has been in the big leagues for the ’98, ’02, ’06, ’10, ’14, and now ’18 World Cup. Also, with his height and weight, he takes up substantially more mass in the net, than any other goalkeeper in the tournament, and has to be added to his advantages.
While he may be big, let’s not forget the guy is also pretty nimble, being able to make plays off the mound that are impressive for any pitcher, let alone for someone his size. Last, but not least, have you ever seen the man on camera? He is having ten times more fun than anyone else in baseball and seems like the guy you want on your team, making everything more entertaining.
With this many superstars on one field, it would take one heck of a manager to run this team like a well-oiled machine, and this manager would also be able to have fun. First pick for skipper would hands-down be Joe Maddon. He has taken the Rays to the World Series and broke the World Series curse with the Cubs, if that doesn’t say HIRE ME, I’m not sure what else does. Not to mention, he always seems to be trying his best to make sure his team is having fun on and off the field, which is a key factor.
Final Lineup
- Defensive Unit
- Aaron Judge – Yankees
- Giancarlo Stanton – Yankees
- J.D. Martinez – Red Sox
- Ozzie Albies – Braves
- Midfielders
- Mike Trout – Angels
- Jose Altuve – Astros
- Bryce Harper – Nationals
- Forwards
- Lorenzo Cain – Brewers
- Mookie Betts – Red Sox
- Dee Gordon – Mariners
- Goalie
- Big Sexy Bartolo Colon – Rangers
- Manager
- Joe Maddon
Who would you take on your team? Let us know below.
