National teams are getting ready for next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC), the fifth edition of the tournament that has many MLB stars vying for the top spot.
Team USA, in particular, is still in the formation stage: some stars have stated they will be a part of the roster, but it is far from finished.
Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Bryce Harper, Mike Trout, and Trevor Story is a very good start, though.
However, the coaching staff is also a big part of a team.
Team USA announced theirs, and there are some big names on it.
“The Team USA coaching staff is here, and The Kid is a part of it,” MLB tweeted.
The Team USA coaching staff is here, and The Kid is a part of it. 👀 pic.twitter.com/o02EaJR1Nn
— MLB (@MLB) August 23, 2022
Former MLB utilityman Mark DeRosa will be the manager, and experienced skipper Jerry Manuel will be the bench coach.
Star Coaches For A Star-Studded Team
The hitting and pitching coaches are filled with star-power: Ken Griffey Jr. and Andy Pettitte, respectively, will fill those roles.
No matter how good you currently are at hitting a baseball: if the Kid wants to talk to you, you listen.
Plain and simple.
That’s probably why he is a part of the staff: Team USA authorities probably wanted an authoritative figure, someone whose trajectory inspired respect and admiration from fellow hitters.
It doesn’t take much knowledge of the game to understand the kind of impact Griffey had in the 1990s and 2000s.
If injuries didn’t get in the way, there is a good chance he would have finished with at least 700 home runs.
They were a problem for him, especially in the latter part of his career, so he “just” got to 630.
He was a true game-changer with the bat, and now American stars will get to receive tips and pointers from him.
He should be an asset in his new role.