Inside The Cubs

Former Cubs Star Named Team USA Manager for 2026 World Baseball Classic

A former Chicago Cubs star will manage Team USA in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.

Tyler Maher

Sep 18, 2008; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs second baseman Mark DeRosa (7) hits a single during the 11th inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field.
Sep 18, 2008; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Cubs second baseman Mark DeRosa (7) hits a single during the 11th inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Wrigley Field. / Jerry Lai-Imagn Images
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With the 2026 World Baseball Classic less than a year away, a former Chicago Cubs player has been named manager of Team USA.

On Thursday morning, USA Baseball announced on X that former MLB player Mark DeRosa will return to manage Team USA for next year's WBC. The tournament, which is scheduled for next March, will take place in Miami, Houston, San Juan and Tokyo.

DeRosa, 50, will manage Team USA for the second straight WBC. He also helmed the Americans during the 2023 tournament, leading them to the championship game.

Team USA narrowly lost the title game to Japan, 3-2, after Shohei Ohtani famously struck out Mike Trout to end the game.

Now a co-host of MLB Central on MLB Network, DeRosa played 16 seasons in the Major Leagues from 2008 to 2013. The New Jersey native and UPenn alum also played for Team USA during the 2009 WBC.

The former utilityman suited up for eight different teams during his MLB career, spending two seasons with the Cubs from 2007 to 2008. He played a career-high 149 games in both seasons, compiling 4.0 WAR and helping Chicago win back-to-back NL Central titles.

Given DeRosa's impressive experience, expertise and passion for the game, he's a great choice to lead Team USA again. He stayed up until 4 a.m. every morning mapping out lineups and potential matchups during the last tournament, so he takes the role seriously.

He'll also be hungry to win after coming up short against Japan.

DeRosa will work closely with Team USA's general manager, Michael Hill. Hill currently works as MLB's senior vice president of on-field operations.

With 11 months to prepare, DeRosa will try to help Team USA win its second WBC and first since 2017. Based on his initial reaction to the news on MLB Network, he can't wait to get started.

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Tyler Maher
TYLER MAHER

Tyler grew up in Massachusetts and is a huge Boston sports fan, especially the Red Sox. He went to Tufts University and played club baseball for the Jumbos. Since graduating, he has worked for MLB.com, The Game Day, FanDuel and Forbes. When he's not writing about baseball, he enjoys running, traveling, and playing fetch with his golden retriever.

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