Jim Leyland to manage 2017 United States World Baseball Classic team

Longtime MLB manager Jim Leyland will helm the United States team in the 2017 World Baseball Classic.

Former MLB skipper Jim Leyland hasn’t managed since 2013, but he will soon return to the dugout for a new challenge when he leads the United States team at next year’s World Baseball Classic.

The 71-year-old Leyland spent 27 seasons as a big league manager with the Pirates, Marlins, Rockies and Tigers. During that span he became one of the most respected figures in baseball, renowned for his stern, no-nonsense approach.

Leyland has the distinction of steering the then Florida Marlins to their first World Series title in franchise history in 1997. He also won the Manager of the Year Award three times, twice in the National League (1990 and 1992 with the Pirates) and once in the American League (2006 with the Tigers).

Since his retirement after the 2013 campaign, Leyland has remained with the Tigers organization as a special assistant.

Leyland’s appointment as manager continues a trend of respected former MLB skippers taking the reins of the U.S. team in the World Baseball Classic. Buck Martinez, Davey Johnson and Joe Torre each managed the squad in the 2006, 2009 and 2013 competitions, respectively (although it’s worth noting that Johnson later returned to a big league bench in 2011 with the Washington Nationals).

The U.S. will hope that Leyland can reverse what has been a series of underwhelming results in the tournament since its inception. The team has failed to finish higher than fourth in the competition, somewhat disappointing in the sport considered to be “America’s pastime.”

The WBC was first held in 2006, organized by Major League Baseball in an effort to broaden the international appeal of the game, as well as a response to the sport’s removal from the Olympic Games. Despite some definite strides in popularity around the globe with each new edition of the tournament, the Classic has been met with a general yawn by U.S. fans. The competition takes place in March during Spring Training, when most MLB followers are just waiting for the season to begin.

For his part, Leyland seems excited by the opportunity. “When I was asked,” he said, “I could not turn this down. Not from an ego standpoint, but it’s the honor of being asked to manage for your country … I’m not going to be a manager anymore, but this is a special thing that came up. I agreed to it right away. I’m very honored.”

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He’s also looking forward to seeing some of his old players again, whether in his own dugout or the opposing one: “I already told Miggy [Miguel Cabrera] I’m going to walk him,” Leyland said. “I’ve been kidding with him. In that situation, I’m putting up four fingers.”