After falling to Japan in 2023, Team USA looks to reclaim its status as the best baseball country in the world in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
Despite the disappointing result in the most recent World Baseball Classic, MLB Network’s Mark DeRosa has been tasked with leading Team USA in 2026.
DeRosa, perhaps best known for his 16-year MLB career, has served as a studio analyst at MLB Network since retiring from baseball, working on several shows over the years, including MLB Central.
It was a bit of a shock when DeRosa was named the manager of Team USA for the 2023 World Baseball Classic, as he went into the event without prior managerial experience.
Despite this, it seems DeRosa showed enough to be given a second opportunity as the Team USA manager. He will be joined by Michael Hill, who will serve as the team’s general manager.
Running it back! 🇺🇸@markdero7 will manage Team USA in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. pic.twitter.com/reO1D1V4Gs
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) April 10, 2025
In a statement to MLB.com, DeRosa shares his excitement about the opportunity to continue as the manager of Team USA, which he calls “one of the highlights” of his life.
“Getting the chance to share the clubhouse and dugout with USA’s greatest staff and players was one of the highlights of my life,” said DeRosa. “I’m extremely grateful and fired up to get another opportunity to put ‘USA’ across my chest come March.”
We’ll see if DeRosa has what it takes to help Team USA get over the hump and win their first World Baseball Classic gold medal since 2017.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.