Jim Leyland Named US Manager for 2017 World Baseball Classic

Team USA will be led by a former World Series champion in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, as Jim Leyland was named the squad's manager Friday. 

Jon Morosi of Fox Sports was the first to report the 71-year-old will manage the Americans despite retiring from Major League Baseball following the 2013 season.

John Blundell of MLB's PR department tweeted a photo of Leyland in his new jersey:

Following the announcement, Leyland told Morosi that the 2017 WBC is likely to be the final managerial assignment of his career:

"

I'll definitely be ready. I'm never going to manage again after this. I didn't think I'd manage this, either. But when I was asked, I could not turn this down. Not from an ego standpoint, but it's the honor of being asked to manage for your country.

This is probably going to take me a little time, to start thinking about game situations, to sharpen up again. Contrary to what a lot of people think, I don't try to manage the game anymore. I just watch the Tigers, watch the game, watch the players. I don't think too much about the strategy. That's not my business anymore, not my job anymore.

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.

"

Leyland spent 22 years as an MLB manager with the Pittsburgh Pirates, the then-Florida Marlins, the Colorado Rockies and the Detroit Tigers. He went 1,769-1,728, reaching the World Series on three occasions and winning it with the Marlins in 1997.

The United States has made a habit of bringing in retired, big-name managers for the WBC, as Buck Martinez, Davey Johnson and Joe Torre previously served in the same role.

Per Morosi, the chance to potentially lead Team USA to its first World Baseball Classic crown is extremely special to Leyland:

Despite baseball being the United States' national pastime, it has never won a WBC title, and its best finish was fourth place in 2009.

The fact that not every top player chooses to take part is undoubtedly an issue, as is the short amount of time that teams have to jell.

Having a respected manager like Leyland in place could go a long way toward helping the players mesh quickly, which is key in a tournament that doesn't allow for lengthy series.

The WBC would likely benefit greatly from a strong performance out of Team USA in terms of increasing its profile, and Leyland's record of making deep playoff runs suggests he could be the perfect person for the job.

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