Former Braves, Cubs Utility Man Returns as Team USA Manager in WBC

He led Team USA to a runner-up finish in 2023 behind Samuri Japan. During the path to the championship game in Miami, DeRosa’s Team USA took out heavyweights Venezuela in the quarterfinals and Cuba in the semifinals. They also went 3-1 in the group stage. 

DeRosa succeeded Hall of Fame manager Jim Leyland, who led Team USA to their first and only championship in 2017. 

The Team USA manager played for the Atlanta Braves from 1998 to 2004. The Braves drafted him out of UPenn in the seventh round of the 1996 draft. For most of his time in Atlanta, he had short stints, mainly filling in for players and serving in a utility role. 

In 2003 and 2004, his last two seasons with the Braves, he became a mostly everyday player. In 393 games with the Braves, he batted .266 with 17 home runs and 99 RBIs. He was primarily an infielder with occasional appearances in the outfield. 

He saw action in the postseason in three different seasons while with the team and relished in the moment. In 13 Braves postseason games, he batted .368 with a 1.060 OPS. 

A top postseason highlight of his came in game two of the 2003 NLDS against the Chicago Cubs. In the top of the eighth, he drove in two go-ahead runs on a double. 

Coincidently, he got his most playing time when he eventually joined the Cubs. He played in 149 games in both seasons he played on the North Side of Chicago. In his 2008 season with the Cubs, he had a career-best OPS (.857), on-base percentage (.376) and total for RBIs (87).

He went on to have a 16-year career, playing with the Cubs, Texas Rangers, Toronto Blue Jays, San Francisco Giants, Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals. 

The Braves won that game but ultimately lost the series. 

DeRosa has served as an analyst on MLB Network since his retirement in 2013. He’s also served as an analyst in the popular video game MLB The Show.

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