Dodgers News: L.A. Star Commits to Play for Team USA in 2023 World Baseball Classic
Last week, former big-leaguer Mark DeRosa was named the manager of Team USA for next spring’s World Baseball Classic. Earlier this week, we learned that Dodgers third-base coach Dino Ebel would fill that same role for Team USA on DeRosa’s coaching staff.
At that point, while several players had committed to play for Team USA, none of them were Dodgers. That changed on Thursday morning, when MLB announced a pretty big addition to the team.
.@mookiebetts has 2 World Series rings, and now he’s #ALLIN to try to get the gold for Team USA at the #WorldBaseballClassic. ?? pic.twitter.com/ZB7zChQ1kx
— MLB (@MLB) August 25, 2022
Dodger right-fielder Mookie Betts has committed to play for Team USA next spring, joining Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Nolan Arenado, and more stars who will look to defend the WBC title for the USA. Marcus Stroman and Team USA beat Puerto Rico in the finals in 2017 to take home the title. The 2021 WBC was canceled because of the pandemic.
Betts is a perfect addition to the team, because he’d be a perfect addition to any team. He’s supremely talented, plays hard, and has a personality to match his skills. On a team full of huge stars, Mookie not only holds his own but makes the team better.
That makes two Dodgers in the WBC now, with Freddie Freeman slated to play for Team Canada (he has dual U.S./Canadian citizenship as the son of two native Canadians). We’ll get more information in the coming months about who else will be joining the roster for Team USA and the other participating countries, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see more Dodgers participating. But look for DeRosa to be penciling in Mookie’s name at the top of the lineup next March.
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