Yusseff Díaz of PelotaCubanaUSA reports that Germán Mesa will be named manager of the Cuban national team for the 2026 World Baseball Classic and is expected to remain at the helm through the 2028 Olympic cycle. Mesa is the last manager to be named for the tournament. He succeeds Armando Johnson, the manager for Cuba in the WBC in 2023.
Mesa served as the Cuban bench during the 2023 WBC and brings a wealth of managerial experience. He previously managed the Industriales in the Cuban Serie Nacional from 2008 to 2011, leading them to their most recent championship in 2010. Internationally, he has found success in Nicaragua’s winter league, winning three titles—two with the Gigantes de Rivas (2016, 2024) and one with the Tigres de Chinandega (2013). He also managed El Salvador’s national team during the 2017 Central American and Bolivarian Games.
Known as “El Imán” during his playing career, Mesa is widely regarded as the greatest shortstop in Cuban baseball history. He was Cuba’s starting shortstop at both the 1992 and 2000 Olympics. In Barcelona (1992), he hit .407 with two RBIs en route to a gold medal. In Sydney (2000), he posted a .300 average with four RBIs as his team secured silver. His decorated international résumé also includes three Pan American Games gold medals (1991, 1995, 1999), two Baseball World Cup titles (1990, 1994), and a gold medal at the 1990 Goodwill Games in Seattle.
Now at the helm, Mesa will aim to guide Cuba to its first World Baseball Classic title in 2026. The team is coming off its first semifinal appearance since the inaugural tournament in 2006. Cuba will compete in Pool A, based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, alongside the host nation, Canada, Panama, and Colombia. They are set to open play against Panama on March 6.
WBN WBC: https://worldbaseball.com/league/wbc/
Photo: Cuban players celebrate after defeating Australia in their World Baseball Classic quarterfinal game at the Tokyo Dome Tokyo, Wednesday, March 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko)
