Mark DeRosa might not have been officially in the mix for the Texas Rangers' managerial position this past offseason, but his name certainly floated around as a potential candidate. DeRosa, who had a stint with the Rangers in 2005 and 2006, has been at the helm of Team USA for the World Baseball Classic (WBC) this year, a role he also held in 2023. While his main gig is as a personality on MLB Network, his leadership for Team USA speaks to his knack for uniting players.
Whether the Rangers seriously considered DeRosa for their managerial role remains a mystery, and it's unclear if he would have been interested. Back in 2018, Texas showed interest in him for their open manager spot, but he declined to interview.
Regardless of the speculation, it seems the Rangers made the right call with Skip Schumaker. Last night's performance by DeRosa and Team USA only underscored that point.
In a surprising turn, Team USA wrapped up pool play with a 3-1 record after falling 8-6 to Team Italy at Daikin Park in Houston. Italy, now 3-0, is set to face Team Mexico, who holds a 2-1 record after losing to Team USA earlier in the week.
The stakes are high, and the tiebreaker rules add to the drama. Only two teams from each pool advance, and Team USA could find themselves watching the quarterfinals from home if things don't go their way. This would be a major letdown, especially given Team USA's star-studded roster, which includes top-tier talents like Paul Skenes, Mason Miller, and Logan Webb.
Adding to the intrigue, DeRosa opted to field what many considered a "B team" last night, leaving stars like Bryce Harper and Alex Bregman on the bench. Despite this, the replacements held their own-Pete Crow-Armstrong smashed two homers, Gunnar Henderson added another, and Will Smith collected two hits. However, the decision to start Paul Goldschmidt over Harper raised eyebrows.
Perhaps the most puzzling move was DeRosa's choice to have lefty Ryan Yarbrough pitch 2 1/3 innings instead of utilizing more proven relievers.
A viral clip from MLB Network added fuel to the fire, showing DeRosa mistakenly believing Team USA had already secured a spot in the quarterfinals.
“It’s weird. We want to win this game even though our ticket’s punched to the quarterfinals.” -Team USA manager Mark DeRosa earlier today
However, Team USA's ticket was far from punched, leaving them in a precarious position.
In hindsight, Texas's decision to go with Schumaker over DeRosa seems even more justified.