In a shocking move, former MLB OF and World Series-winning manager Dusty Baker has been officially named the manager of Nicaragua’s national team for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
Baker brings with him one of the most distinguished resumes in modern baseball history. Over the course of a managerial career spanning three decades, he led five different franchises—the San Francisco Giants (1993–2002), Chicago Cubs (2003–2006), Cincinnati Reds (2008–2013), Washington Nationals (2016–2017), and Houston Astros (2020–2023). In 2021, he became the first manager in Major League Baseball history to guide five different clubs to division titles.
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A year later in 2022, he became just the ninth manager to win both an American League and a National League pennant when the Astros reached the World Series. Though his teams had fallen short in previous Fall Classics—San Francisco in 2002 and Houston in 2021—Baker finally captured an elusive championship in 2022, when the Astros defeated the Philadelphia Phillies in six games. The victory cemented his legacy as one of the game’s most accomplished leaders.
Baker’s impact on the game extends beyond the dugout. As a player, he enjoyed a 19-year MLB career, appearing in 2,039 games and compiling a .278/.347/.432 slash line with 242 home runs and a 116 OPS+ across four franchises. He won a World Series title with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1981 and was selected as an All-Star twice.
In 2022, Baker became the 12th manager in MLB history to reach 2,000 wins—and the first African-American manager to do so.
Now, at age 76, Baker takes on what may be his most unexpected and daunting challenge yet: leading a Nicaraguan team that will be a heavy underdog in a highly competitive group at the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Nicaragua will compete in Pool D alongside tournament favorites the Dominican Republic and Venezuela, as well as the Netherlands and Israel.
With no current MLB position players expected on the roster and a squad likely to feature many players from Nicaragua’s domestic summer league, expectations will be modest. But with Dusty Baker at the helm, the team possesses invaluable leadership, experience, and poise they can take to the international stage.
Nicaragua opens tournament play on March 6 in Miami against the Dominican Republic. They will follow with matchups against the Netherlands, Israel, and Venezuela, hoping to make a historic run under the guidance of one of baseball’s most respected figures. For Dusty Baker, it’s a new chapter in a storied career—and perhaps his greatest challenge yet
WBN WBC: https://worldbaseball.com/league/wbc/
Photo Credit: Nicaraguan Baseball Federation
