CARY, N.C. — Mark DeRosa, a former major leaguer has been appointed Team USA manager for 2023 World Baseball Classic.
USA Baseball, which is based in Cary (North Carolina), announced Friday’s appointment. DeRosa is the new professional coach and will be in charge of the defending champions next spring.
He is currently the co-host of MLB Network’s morning show, MLB Central.
Tony Reagins, Team USA general manager, said that Mark DeRosa has a long history of baseball knowledge. “(DeRosa), is highly respected both on the field and off it. His leadership and experience as a player in 2009 Classic will be an asset as we navigate this process.”
The U.S. won 2017 the title by beating Puerto Rico 8 to 0 in the title match at Dodger Stadium.
DeRosa was 47 years old and played for eight teams in 16 major league seasons. He batted.268 with 100 homers in 1,241 games, and had 494 RBI. In 1998, he made his major league debut in Atlanta and was last seen in Toronto in 2013.
DeRosa was the 2010 World Series winner with San Francisco. He first joined MLB Network in 2011 as a guest analyst.
Next year’s tournament is scheduled for March 8-21. The tournament will be played in Phoenix and Taichung in Taiwan, Taichung in Miami, Taichung in Taiwan, and Tokyo Dome, Japan. From March 19-21, semifinals and title games will be held at Miami’s LoanDepot Park.
USA Baseball will announce its full coaching staff next week.