These Three Ex-MLB Stars Are Managers in World Baseball Classic

Two Baseball Hall of Famers and a former perennial All-Star are now skippers in the dugout at the World Baseball Classic.

Yadier Molina will manage Team Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic for a second straight time. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The 2026 World Baseball Classic is set to be a star-studded affair, with multiple future Hall of Famers and perennial All-Stars set to take the field for their respective countries. But what about stars in the dugout?

That’s right, there are several former MLB players serving as managers in the WBC, but these three ex-stars stand out. During their respective careers, the quartet combined to make 26 All-Star teams, win 21 Gold Gloves, capture four World Series championships and win three MVP Awards. Without further ado, let’s meet the star skippers.

Yadier Molina, Team Puerto Rico

Molina appeared in each of the first five WBC's, four of them as a player. | Kelvin Kuo-Imagn Images

Molina is one of the best defensive catchers to ever suit up, having won nine Gold Gloves (four Platinum Gloves), earning 10 All-Star nods and winning two titles in 19 seasons with the Cardinals. Molina also has extensive WBC experience, having appeared in each of the first four tournaments as a player, helping Team Puerto Rico to the final in 2013 and ’17.

Just like in the postseason with the Cardinals, Molina rose to meet the moment in the WBC, posting a .306/.338/.419 slash line with two homers and nine RBI while catching seven runners stealing in 20 career WBC games.

Molina, after having managed Team Puerto Rico in the 2023 WBC, returns as the team’s skipper looking to get his home country over the hump for the first time in the tourney's history. Molina and Team Puerto Rico open pool play on March 6 against Colombia.

Andruw Jones, Team Netherlands

Jones in January of 2026 was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Like Molina, Jones was considered the best defensive player at his position, center field, for much of his Hall of Fame career, winning his first Gold Glove in 1998 and his last in 2007. But the Willemstad, Curaçao native was more than just an elite glove. Jones burst onto the scene with the Braves as a 19-year-old, hitting .345 with three home runs and nine RBI to help power the club to the World Series. Jones belted 434 homers in his career, topping out at 51 in the 2005 season.

He represented the Netherlands in the 2006 and ’13 WBCs as a player, then served as a bench coach for the team in the ’17 and ’23 tourneys. The 2026 tournament will be the first time Jones is the skipper for Team Netherlands.

“It’s just a great honor to be part of it. I don’t see it as a manager. I see it as a coach that is trying to help these guys win games,” Jones told MLB.com. “It’s just a title that people give to each other, but we’re all coaches here and we’re just trying to win together.”

Team Netherlands opens WBC play on March 6 against Venezuela.

Albert Pujols, Team Dominican Republic

Pujols became just the fourth major leaguer to eclipse 700 career home runs. | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

A career 703 home runs. Three MVP Awards. An incredible .296/.374/.544 career slash line that somehow soared ever higher when the games mattered even more, resulting in two World Series championships for the Cardinals. Simply put, Pujols is one of the greatest hitters who ever stepped foot on a baseball diamond.

Pujols made one appearance in the WBC for Team Dominican Republic back in 2006, batting .286 with one home run, three RBI, seven walks and five runs scored in seven games, helping his country advance to the semifinals.

Now Pujols, after getting his first taste of managing back in 2024–25 with Leones del Escogido in the Dominican Republic Professional Baseball League, will be the skipper for the star-studded Team Dominican Republic club. The former Cardinals star still hopes to manage in MLB one day.

Team Dominican Republic plays its first WBC game against Nicaragua on March 6.

Honorable Mentions

Here's a look at the other former active MLB players, an equally-impressive list that includes several All-Star nominations and a handful of World Series titles, managing in the WBC.

Country	Manager
Team Australia	Dave Nillson
Team Israel	Brad Ausmus
Team Canada	Ernie Whitt
Team Italy	Francisco Cervelli
Team Mexico	Benji Gil
Team Nicaragua	Dusty Baker
Team USA	Mark DeRosa

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