On Tuesday, Staff USA performed its first tuneup sport earlier than the World Baseball Basic, thrashing the Giants 15-1 in a scheduled 10-inning exhibition. This got here on the heels of Monday’s announcement lining up the American rotation for pool play within the WBC.
The WBC is a bit uncommon for a world best-on-best sporting match in that it takes place in the course of the preseason, fairly than throughout a devoted break (as in Olympic ice hockey or the 2022 FIFA World Cup) or the offseason. Subsequently, the perfect lively managers and coaches for every nation are unavailable to teach within the match, as they might be in hockey and soccer.
For the primary 4 tournaments, USA Baseball obtained round this by hiring both unemployed or lately retired managers — Buck Martinez, Davey Johnson, Joe Torre, and Jim Leyland. Extremely profitable and well-respected managers, within the latter three circumstances. For 2023, they went with Mark DeRosa.
DeRosa performed 16 years within the main leagues, however had by no means drawn a paycheck as a coach or supervisor wherever till he was tapped to handle Staff USA in 2023. However he’s on TV, and folks appear to love him, and assume he’s sensible as a result of he’s obtained a level from Penn’s Wharton Enterprise Faculty. (An establishment whose repute has someway survived the exploits of its alumni.)
It’s arduous to argue with the outcomes DeRosa obtained out of his group in 2023; Staff USA got here inside one cinematic Shohei Ohtani reduction look of profitable the entire thing. They obtained to the ninth inning of the championship sport with Mookie Betts up, Mike Trout on deck, the tying run on base, and no person out. That’s about pretty much as good a place as you possibly can ask for.
I’m additionally sympathetic to the distinctive place DeRosa was in as WBC supervisor; he’s constrained by pitch rely guidelines and team-imposed utilization limits, and he has to seek out taking part in time for star place gamers who’re used to beginning day by day.
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You’ll be able to say {that a} group led by Betts, Trout, Paul Goldschmidt, and Adam Wainwright mainly manages itself; however, it is a more durable gig than the uncooked expertise on the roster would lead you to consider. DeRosa often appeared like a novice; a lot as I’d love to have the ability to neglect Daniel Bard getting the yips in opposition to Venezuela and staying on the market lengthy sufficient to interrupt Jose Altuve’s thumb, generally it’s arduous to shake such disturbing occasions. That’s the form of state of affairs the place it’d be good to have an skilled supervisor.
Properly, DeRosa is again for 2026, and he’s not a rookie anymore. He instructions a roster that, regardless of fairly a little bit of turnover, is much more highly effective than the Staff USA of three years in the past. Kyle Schwarber is the one participant to start out each the 2023 championship sport and the exhibition in opposition to the Giants, however the reinforcements are spectacular: Bobby Witt Jr. has earned a promotion from pinch-runner to leadoff hitter. Including Aaron Choose, Bryce Harper, Cal Raleigh, Byron Buxton, Roman Anthony, and Gunnar Henderson to the roster doesn’t damage both.
And whereas Staff USA has often ridden distinctive bullpens to the latter rounds of the match, for the primary time the beginning rotation displays the perfect this nation has to supply. In 2023, Staff USA’s rotation was Merrill Kelly, Lance Lynn, and Pray We’re Taking part in Nice Britain Subsequent. This yr, the highest three U.S. starters are Paul Skenes, Tarik Skubal, and Logan Webb — three of the highest 4 American-born pitchers in WAR final yr. The no. 4 starter is Nolan McLean, the highest pitching prospect in all of baseball.
It’s arduous to overstate how huge a bonus that’s going to be. I rely two beginning pitchers in the complete match — Cristopher Sánchez of the Dominican Republic and Yoshinobu Yamamoto of Japan — whom I’d take over Staff USA’s no. 5 starter, Matthew Boyd, not to mention Skenes or Skubal.
DeRosa’s efficiency most likely isn’t going to be the distinction in whether or not Staff USA wins, fails to medal, or finishes someplace in between. But it surely’s by no means too early to nitpick.
Let’s begin with how the rotation is about up: Webb for the opener in opposition to Brazil, Skubal in opposition to Nice Britain, Skenes in opposition to Mexico, and McLean within the remaining pool sport in opposition to Italy.
The 4 U.S. pool video games are on Friday, Saturday, Monday, and Tuesday. Assuming Staff USA advances (which we must always), the quarterfinal sport would be the following Friday, March 13. That’s the primary of three knockout spherical video games in 5 days, together with the ultimate.
The pitcher utilization limits for the WBC require 4 days of relaxation between outings of fifty pitches or extra. With an off day between the second and third pool video games and two off days between the ultimate pool sport and the quarterfinal, DeRosa has some wiggle room if he desires to shift his rotation for the knockout spherical. In truth, that’s what he did in 2023. In pool play, Staff USA began Wainwright, Nick Martinez, Lynn, and Kelly, in that order. Then, Lynn swapped to face Venezuela within the quarterfinal, leaving Wainwright to choose up a neater matchup in opposition to Cuba within the semis, with Kelly on the bump for the ultimate in opposition to Japan.
Final day trip, the group stage was a bit chaotic; Mexico beat Staff USA to win its group, whereas the Netherlands, South Korea, and the Dominican Republic all didn’t advance out of pool play. But when the favorites — Puerto Rico and the U.S. — win Swimming pools A and B, respectively, Staff USA shall be in for a reasonably simple quarterfinal matchup in opposition to Canada, Cuba, or Colombia, adopted by a brutal semifinal in opposition to both the Dominican Republic or Venezuela.
The primary two group video games, in opposition to Brazil and Nice Britain, are gimmes. If Staff USA loses both a kind of, there needs to be congressional hearings. The Mexico sport will all however actually determine the group — it did in 2023 — and Italy, with its military of heritage audio system and New Jerseyans, shall be an underdog, however a harmful one.
That works out superb for the U.S., as a result of beginning its two finest pitchers — Skenes and Skubal, in some order — within the two hardest group video games would set them up for the semifinal and remaining, ought to Staff USA make it that far. In an ideal world, I’d begin Webb in opposition to Brazil, simply to have a veteran on the mound for the opener, adopted by McLean in opposition to Nice Britain, Skubal in opposition to Mexico, and Skenes in opposition to Italy. Then I’d deliver again Webb for the primary knockout sport, adopted by Skubal and Skenes once more.
We don’t, nevertheless dwell in an ideal world. Skubal goes again to Tigers camp after one begin, and McLean has been battling vertigo signs. That’s bizarre sufficient to be troubling, however he’s anticipated to have the ability to be a part of the group, although he’s going to start out later within the group stage.
Thus we arrive on the DeRosa’s precise rotation: Webb, Skubal, Skenes, McLean. Given the circumstances — McLean can’t begin one of many first two group video games, and also you’re not lining Skubal up for a knockout spherical begin — that’s superb. The query of whether or not you’d need Skenes or Skubal beginning in opposition to Mexico is shut sufficient to return all the way down to style; both two-time defending Cy Younger winner will do.
That also strains Skenes as much as begin in opposition to two of the three hardest opponents Staff USA goes to face. If McLean seems good in opposition to Italy, I’d be superb lining him up for the championship sport; if not, Boyd or Clay Holmes can begin the quarterfinal, and Webb and Skenes can every transfer again a sport. It’s a bit fly-by-night, given the expertise on this rotation, however I believe DeRosa is taking part in the playing cards he’s obtained about in addition to he can.
I don’t need to dig an excessive amount of into the primary warmup sport, however this does seem like Staff USA’s prime lineup. Nonetheless, as a lot as I’m superb with DeRosa’s rotation order, I do have some notes about his lineup building. Ordinarily I’d save my revamped lineup for later within the piece, however I’m together with it right here for causes of desk hygiene:
What the Staff USA Lineup Is and Ought to Be
| DeRosa’s Lineup | My Lineup | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bobby Witt Jr. | SS | Aaron Choose | RF |
| Bryce Harper | 1B | Bryce Harper | 1B |
| Aaron Choose | RF | Cal Raleigh | C |
| Kyle Schwarber | DH | Bobby Witt Jr. | SS |
| Alex Bregman | 3B | Kyle Schwarber | DH |
| Cal Raleigh | C | Byron Buxton | CF |
| Roman Anthony | LF | Roman Anthony | LF |
| Byron Buxton | CF | Alex Bregman | 3B |
| Brice Turang | 2B | Brice Turang | 2B |
Proper-handed hitters in blue
Left-handed hitters in pink
Change hitters in purple
Proper off the highest: I believe DeRosa obtained the precise 9 guys into the beginning lineup. There are two positions at which I believe there’s a professional argument over who the perfect participant is: shortstop (Witt vs. Henderson) and the three-into-two of Anthony, Buxton, and Pete Crow-Armstrong for heart and left subject. Perhaps three positions if you wish to use Henderson at third as an alternative of Bregman. Nonetheless, I might’ve made the identical choices right here.
The bottom wRC+ any of the 9 U.S. starters posted in 2025 was Turang’s 124. Final yr, 11 huge league groups didn’t have a single certified hitter with a wRC+ of 124 or higher. Should you put these 9 guys within the lineup in any order, they’re going to attain runs by the truckload.
However DeRosa’s placing this lineup collectively like he’s Leo Durocher or one thing. He alternates left-handed and right-handed hitters, and having the switch-hitting Raleigh within the lineup permits him to maintain that alternation going even when the lineup turns over. That’s good; all issues being equal, I’d do the identical factor.
Apart from that, it’s a lineup by stereotype. The quickest hitter leads off. The no. 2 hitter is a lefty who will get on base and may grind at-bats. The very best hitter hits third, and the hitter with essentially the most energy (if not the no. 3 hitter) bats cleanup. The third baseman hits in the midst of the order and the center infielder who doesn’t hit on the prime of the lineup hits ninth.
I believe we are able to do higher. If I had been operating Staff USA, my no. 1 goal could be to get Choose as many at-bats as doable. Not solely is he the perfect hitter, he’s the perfect on-base man, and the lineup building limitations that apply to a standard group are usually not a consideration right here. Everybody within the lineup can get on base to be pushed in by Choose, even no. 9 hitter Turang, who posted a .359 OBP in 2025. Equally, everybody within the lineup can drive Choose in. Similar to the Dodgers maximize Ohtani by main him off, I’d feed opponents as a lot Choose as the principles enable.
I’d additionally transfer Raleigh up within the order from sixth to 3rd. The third man within the order goes to give you no person on and two out a good quantity (effectively, possibly not with Choose main off), so that you need a man who has the facility to attain himself with a house run if he seems with the bases empty. And if there are two outs, you’re not sweating a decrease OBP; a two-out stroll doesn’t do a lot for you.
The opposite change I’d make is transferring Bregman from fifth to eighth. That is praising with faint damnation, however Bregman is genuinely one of many weaker hitters in Staff USA’s lineup, and seeing him larger within the order than Raleigh and Anthony left a bitter style in my mouth. Certain sufficient, after the primary 4 U.S. hitters reached off Adrian Houser, Bregman killed the rally by grounding right into a double play. Then he homered the subsequent time up, illustrating the futility of lineup discourse.
In the end, we’re taking a look at a seven-game pattern, at most. Over that small a pattern, Boyd may out-pitch Skenes and Bregman may out-hit Choose. (Heck, Joey Meneses may out-hit Choose over the precise seven video games.) All of that is tutorial.
However a part of the enjoyable of a world match is overanalyzing the supervisor’s ways and griping about how you’ll’ve finished issues in another way. And I’m able to nitpick, child. My nation’s destiny will depend on it.