Team USA WBC batting stats: Star-studded lineup struggles as U.S. falls to Venezuela in WBC title game

After their shock defeat to Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic championship, this now marks two straight losses in the championship for Team USA.

While their pitching had its flaws at times in the tournament, the team's hitting seemed to vanish just when they needed a clutch hit the most. In the championship, Team USA was held to just three hits against Venezuela across 30 at-bats.

With a lineup that boasts hitters like Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh, Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber, many fans expected to see home runs and extra-base hits coming easily.

Here is a deep dive analyzing Team USA's hitting stats during the WBC and which hitters fell below the expectation mark.

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Team USA WBC batting stats

Prior to the tournament, many expected the U.S. to have one of the best hitting lineups in the tournament. While at times they did look like that, their losses were largely attributed to poor hitting.

Here are Team USA's hitting stats during this year's WBC.

MORE: USA vs. Venezuela championship box score

Which U.S. hitters struggled most in WBC?

Prior to Bryce Harper's eighth-inning game-tying home run, the U.S. were held to just two hits without advancing a runner past first through seven innings.

Through seven innings, Team USA has two hits and hasn't gotten a runner past first. A disaster of a night offensively -- and a continuation of the United States' greatest a weakness throughout the World Baseball Classic. They've got six outs to remedy that. Venezuela leads, 2-0.

Among Team USA's hitting struggles throughout the tournament, here are a couple of batters that particularly stuck out. 

Cal Raleigh

After a 2025 MLB campaign where Raleigh led the league in home runs with 60, many fans were expecting him to pick right back up where he left off in being one of the premier sluggers for Team USA. Not only did Raleigh not hit a home run throughout the tournament, he was hit held hitless in the tournament's entirety (0/9, three games). Manager Mark DeRosa eventually benched him for Will Smith.

Byron Buxton

While Buxton wasn't a bona fide starter for Team USA, his letting left more to be desired. In four games where he appeared at the plate, Buxton went 0/7 with one RBI, one run, and five strikeouts. Fox's broadcast team showed his stellar hitting stats with the Minnesota Twins last season when he was healthy, but World Baseball Classic viewers would've like to see some of that on a bigger stage.

Alex Bregman

WBC teams ranked by runs per game

Of the eight teams that moved on to the knockout stages, here are the rankings for runs per game.

WBC teams ranked by OPS

Of the eight teams that moved on to the knockout stages, here are the rankings for on-base plus slugging (OPS).

Who is Team USA's hitting coach?

Seven-time All-Star Matt Holliday is Team USA's hitting coach. Holliday was selected in the seventh round of the 1998 MLB Draft by the Colorado Rockies and was an All-Star with Colorado (3) and St. Louis Cardinals (4). He also played for the Athletics and the New York Yankees.

Holliday also joined the Oklahoma State baseball coaching staff in July 2019 as a volunteer assistant coach and worked on the Cowboys' offensive development and outfield play. He left the role in 2022 to focus more on his family. He is the father of current Baltimore Orioles second baseman Jackson Holliday.

In the majors, Holliday hit 316 home runs in his 15-year career that spanned from 2004-2018, batting .299 with an .889 OPS.

MORE WORLD BASEBALL CLASSIC 2026:

• The biggest differences between WBC vs. MLB
• How many innings in World Baseball Classic games?
• Why WBC games can end early with mercy rule
• How qualifying, pool play, standings and more work in the WBC