It's not 1992, but the United States appears to be assembling a dream team.
Major League Baseball announced Thursday afternoon that Mookie Betts of the Los Angeles Dodgers has agreed to join Team USA for the 2023 World Baseball Classic.
Betts is on a Hall of Fame pace in his career. He won the 2018 American League MVP while playing for the Boston Red Sox, and also has six All-Star Game selections and five Gold Glove Awards on his resume. Betts is already a two-time World Series Champion, having won a World Series with the Red Sox in 2018 and the Dodgers in 2020.
Set to turn 30 in October, Betts joins Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Pete Alonso, Cedric Mullins, J.T. Realmuto, Paul Goldschmidt, Trevor Story and Nolan Arenado as star position players who have agreed to play in the first WBC since the United States defeated Puerto Rico to win Gold in 2017.
Earlier this week, Mark DeRosa was announced as the manager of Team USA, and he's bringing a star-studded coaching staff with him. Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. will be the hitting coach. Five-time World Series Champion Andy Pettitte will be the pitching coach. Jerry Manuel (bench coach), Lou Collier (first base coach), Dino Ebel (third base coach) and Dave Righetti (bullpen coach) will fill out the staff for America.
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