The criticism of Team USA manager Mark DeRosa was way overdone. Sure, he made a silly misstatement on MLB Network about USA’s ticket already being punched when it hadn’t been. But weigh that against the stacked team he put together, and know that he was the main recruiter. (Disclaimer: I work with him at MLB Network.)
DeRosa said he’d like to remain USA’s manager, and while there’s been some grumbling over his verbal faux pas and the finals defeat, the belief here is MLB won’t make a change. Team USA has now gone 10-4 and reached the finals both years DeRosa managed, whereas it had also-ran, 3-3 finishes in a couple of previous WBCs.
Japan changed managers after losing in the semifinals to Venezuela, the eventual champion. But there should be no shame in falling to Venezuela, which had a lineup of accomplished major leaguers that started with superstar Ronald Acuña Jr. and ended with Brewers star Jackson Chourio.
The WBC expects to have ABS next time, which will be a plus.
