The World Baseball Classic (WBC) will take place from March 5-17 at venues around the globe. For this edition, the United States will field one of its strongest teams in years. The lineup has already earned the nickname “Dream Team,” a label manager Mark DeRosa embraces.
Team USA is part of Group B, which will play at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas, alongside Brazil, Great Britain, Italy, and Mexico.
DeRosa’s roster features elite talent, including Aaron Judge, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Alex Bregman, Clayton Kershaw, Cal Raleigh, and Paul Skenes.
With such names, fans and analysts have dubbed the squad baseball’s Dream Team, a moniker DeRosa readily accepted.
DeRosa embraces the Dream Team label
In a recent interview, MLB Network reporter Greg Amsinger asked, “Is this the closest thing we’ve ever seen to baseball’s version of a Dream Team?”
DeRosa’s immediate response:
I think, absolutely.
While Amsinger praised DeRosa’s roster construction, the manager credited the players themselves. He recalled that the first calls he made were to Judge and Skenes, both of whom accepted immediately.
DeRosa explained that Judge will anchor the position players, while Skenes will lead the pitching staff. “So who can say no? The greats want to be around the greats,” he emphasized.
USA favored in Group B, but challenges await
Although Team USA enters Group B as the heavy favorite, the path to the title will be far from easy.
Puerto Rico and Cuba in Group A, Mexico in Group B, South Korea and Japan in Group C, and the Dominican Republic and Venezuela in Group D all pose serious threats to DeRosa’s squad.
Just three years ago, Japan defeated the United States 3-2 in the WBC final-also under DeRosa’s management. That loss serves as a reminder that even a Dream Team cannot afford complacency.
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