It's a great day to be an American Quaker.
1997 Wharton graduate and former dual-sport athlete for the Red and Blue Mark DeRosa is set to serve as manager of Team USA at the upcoming 2026 World Baseball Classic — his second consecutive World Baseball Classic as manager.
DeRosa is a Major League Baseball veteran, spending 16 years in the league — notably eight years on the Atlanta Braves before then retiring and serving as an MLB studio analyst. The 50-year-old served as the manager for Team USA at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, nearly leading them to the championship game before falling to Japan 3-2.
Before his MLB playing career and manager stints, DeRosa was a dual-sport athlete. The Passaic, N.J. native played football and baseball after strong high school careers in both at New Jersey powerhouse school Bergen Catholic High School.
"I just wanted to give myself the best opportunity to be successful in life, regardless of whether that means playing in the NFL or the MLB, or maybe not getting the chance to do either,” DeRosa told The Daily Pennsylvanian about the decision to play both sports in 2023.
In 1994, as a sophomore quarterback, DeRosa led Penn football to an undefeated season and Ivy League championship and won a second conference title the year after.
While not as historic of a career as his gridiron career, DeRosa broke out in sophomore summer in the Cape Cod Baseball League for the Bourne Braves. He attracted MLB scout attention in his junior year, where he led the Quakers in RBIs while batting over 0.300.
After being drafted in the seventh round of the 1996 MLB draft by the Atlanta Braves, DeRosa decided to forgo his final year of NCAA eligibility to play professional baseball. He spent the next eight years of his MLB career with the Braves. However, DeRosa continued to take classes and graduated from Wharton in 1997.
DeRosa spent the second half of his MLB career across several teams, including Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs, Cleveland Guardians (then Indians), St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants, Washington Nationals, and Toronto Blue Jays. DeRosa also played for Team USA in the 2009 World Baseball Classic — finishing in third place.
In 2013, DeRosa retired with 1,241 games under his belt, a .268 career batting average, and 494 RBIs. After retiring, DeRosa joined the MLB network as a studio analyst.
Before the 2023 WBC, DeRosa had no other managerial experience, but the lack of experience did not intimidate DeRosa as he led Team USA to the championship where they fell second to Japan.
Regarding his future, DeRosa previously told the DP that he was open but not solely committed to managerial roles.
“It's not something I'm like pounding the pavement to do," DeRosa said in 2023. "But yeah, I certainly would be up for the challenge.”
DeRosa surely is up to the challenge of finally winning it all come 2026.
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