Team USA manager Mark DeRosa: Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong is ‘the best defender in the game’

ORLANDO — Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong left an impression on Team USA manager Mark DeRosa this spring, when DeRosa was on site for MLB Network.“I went in with one expectation, and I walked away like, oh my god, I love this kid,” he said.Going into the winter meetings this week, Crow-Armstrong and Cubs left-hander Matthew Boyd were publicly committed to Team USA for the 2026 World Baseball Classic. On Tuesday, Team Canada general manager Greg Hamilton revealed Cubs top prospect Owen Caissie was set to be on the WBC roster for the second time.Representatives from Team Mexico and Team Venezuela said they have been in contact with Cubs pitchers Javier Assad and Daniel Palencia, respectively. There’s mutual interest, the teams said, pending the approval of the Cubs.Cubs right fielder Seiya Suzuki and starting pitcher Shota Imanaga have yet to announce whether they’ll play for Team Japan.Last cycle, Suzuki committed to playing, but an oblique injury in spring training forced him to withdraw.Imanaga posted a 3.00 ERA in the 2023 tournament, a performance capped by his start in the championship game against Team USA. But he and the Cubs may see value in a more normal offseason and spring training schedule, as Imanaga works to address mechanical issues that cropped up late last season.Crow-Armstrong was the first Cub this year to be officially announced as a WBC commit.“I think he’s the best defender in the game, I really do,” DeRosa said of Crow-Armstrong’s fit on the roster. “I think the…

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