Tony Reagins Named USA’s GM For 2023 World Baseball Classic | Former LA Angels GM & Current MLB Diversity Czar Is Going For A Second WBC Title

Tony Reagins Named USA’s GM For 2023 World Baseball Classic | Former LA Angels GM & Current MLB Diversity Czar Is Going For A Second WBC Title

by | Jul 14, 2022 | 6TH SLOT

USA Baseball today named Tony Reagins Team USA’s General Manager for the 2023 World Baseball Classic (WBC). Currently the Chief Baseball Development Officer for Major League Baseball and a member of USA Baseball’s Board of Directors, Reagins, a former GM for the LA Angels is tasked with leading the red, white, and blue to back-to-back world titles after the 2017 squad won the WBC after defeating Puerto Rico 8-0 in the championship game.

Reagins will make his first appearance on a WBC staff with USA Baseball but is no stranger to the role. In 2007, he became the fifth African American General Manager in MLB history when he was promoted by the Los Angeles Angels, beginning a tenure in which the Halos went 363-285 (.560). He led the 2008 Angels to their first 100-win season in franchise history and won consecutive league titles in 2008 and 2009. In 2021, Reagins served as the General Manager for the U.S. Olympic Team that won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympic Games.

“It’s an honor to be named General Manager of Team USA for the 2023 World Baseball Classic,” Reagins said. “We’re looking forward to assembling a talented coaching staff and roster that will build off the success of the 2017 team and make our country proud, while competing against the best players from around the world.”

A native of Indio, California, and graduate of California State University, Fullerton, Reagins began his career as an intern with the Angels and worked his way up to the Director of Player Development before taking over as General Manager. Under his direction, Reagins was responsible for the free-agent signing of Torii Hunter in 2007 and drafting Mike Trout in 2009.

He joined the Commissioner’s Office in March 2015 as Senior Vice President of the first-ever Youth Programs department and became the Executive Vice President of Baseball & Softball Development in March 2018. By the time Reagins was named Major League Baseball’s Chief Baseball Development Officer in 2020, baseball and softball were the most participated team sport in the United States, and participation in baseball rose 20% since 2014.

He continued the development of PLAY BALL in partnership with USA Baseball and USA Softball with the implementation of initiatives such as Fun At Bat and has led the ascent of diversity-focused programs such as Hank Aaron Invitational, DREAM Series, Breakthrough Series, and the Elite Development Invitational.

Additionally, his efforts to grow the Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) program in the United States, South America, Canada, Europe, and Africa have shone, amounting to a nearly 160% increase in participation from 2016 to 2020.

Team USA will begin its WBC title defense as part of Pool C in Phoenix, Arizona, from March 11-15 and will face Canada, Colombia, Mexico, and a to-be-determined qualifying team. The Pool C winner and runner-up will advance to the quarterfinals in Miami, Florida, from March 17-18, and match-up against the winner and runner-up of Pool D.

The fifth installment of the Classic, which will be played from March 8-21, 2023, will take place at Intercontinental Stadium in Taichung, Taiwan; the Tokyo Dome in Japan; Chase Field, the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks, in Phoenix; and LoanDepot park, the home of the Miami Marlins, in Florida. LoanDepot park in Miami will also host the semifinals and finals of the World Baseball Classic from March 19-21.

The U.S. won its first WBC title in 2017. Marcus Stroman was named the MVP after throwing six scoreless innings in the final and finishing the tournament with a 2.35 ERA. USA Baseball will look to identify the coaching staff and roster over the next several months.

Bob Watson | Remembering Baseball’s First Black General Manager To Win A Ring

Bob Watson | Remembering Baseball’s First Black General Manager To Win A Ring

by | May 14, 2021 | THE TWO HOLE

Bob Watson was a two-time All-Star player who later became the first black general manager to win a World Series in 1996, by helping to architect the New York Yankees Dynasty of the late 90s. Watson died of kidney failure at age 74 on this day (May 14th) in 2020.

His contributions to the game, on the field, in the front office, and in the face of racially motivated doubt, make him an integral part of baseball history and a royal MLBbro that every fan should know.