Joe Girardi Named Team USA Manager for Olympics Qualifying Tournament
USA Baseball named Joe Girardi as its manager for the 2019 Premier12 team on Wednesday.
Girardi will try to lead Team USA to a berth in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Qualifying for the Summer Games begins with the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) 2019 Premier12 tournament on November 2-17. Team USA will start the tournament in Guadalajara, Mexico, and play the Dominican Republic, Mexico and the Netherlands in the first round.
"This is a huge thrill for me," Girardi told MLB.com. "I love our country. I think we live in the greatest place in the world. When the opportunity came up to represent our country and work to qualify for the Olympics, I was so honored to accept it."
The former Yankees skipper tried out for the 1984 U.S. Olympic baseball team while studying at Northwestern but did not make the team. Girardi later played for the U.S. collegiate national team at the 1985 Intercontinental Cup in Canada before the Cubs drafted him in the fifth round of the 1986 June Amateur Draft. In his 15-year major league career as a catcher, Girardi won three World Series titles (1996, '98 and '99) with the Yankees. He went on to manage with the Marlins and New York, who won the 2009 championship under his helm.
USA Baseball will announce the rest of its coaching staff for the 2019 team at a later date.
In 2015, Team USA won a silver medal in the inaugural WBSC Premier12 with a 5-3 overall record.
