Kyle Schwarber’s presence in the Team USA dugout has kept ‘everybody calm’ during World Baseball Classic run

MIAMI — During his yearlong recruitment of players to form an American baseball dream team, Mark DeRosa didn’t seek a full-time designated hitter.

But he couldn’t quit Kyle Schwarber.

“When you’re building out a roster like this, having just a cemented DH is probably not the way to go with just the construction and trying to make every piece fit,” DeRosa said Monday. “But he’s just so special to the group that he trumps all that.”

» READ MORE: Bryce Harper one step away from winning a title after Team USA tops Dominican Republic to reach WBC final

And not only because Schwarber will be Team USA’s cleanup hitter here Tuesday night for all the World Baseball Classic marbles. It won’t surprise anyone within the sport, least of all Phillies fans, that his gravitational pull as a leader exists even on a team packed with superstars.

To wit: As the Americans worked out on the eve of the final, 13 hours after vanquishing the homer-fueled Dominican Republic in the semifinals, Schwarber hit in the first group with Bryce Harper, Aaron Judge, Alex Bregman, and Bobby Witt Jr., all of whom turned batting practice into an impromptu home-run derby.

Then, as others returned to the clubhouse, Schwarber hung out around the cage to watch the subsequent groups and carry on conversations with Gunnar Henderson, Roman Anthony, and Pete Crow-Armstrong, three of the youngest players on the roster.

“I don’t have much to do,” he said.

Truth be told, Schwarber doesn’t know how to do it any other way.

“He’s your best friend in grammar school,“ DeRosa said. ”He’s the guy you want to go to dinner with. He doesn’t take himself too seriously, but understands the magnitude of what’s being asked of him, keeps everybody calm in the dugout.

“And the back of the baseball card says he’s one of the best power hitters our sport has.”

DeRosa enlisted Schwarber to play for Team USA in this tournament three years ago and came to regard him as “the chemistry guy.” The Americans went to the final and lost to Japan amid the Hollywood ending of Shohei Ohtani striking out Mike Trout.

» READ MORE: Dreaming of a baseball Dream Team: What the USA roster might look like for the 2028 L.A. Olympics

Since then, Schwarber hit 141 homers, more than only Ohtani (153) and Judge (148). Never mind, then, that he doesn’t play defense. Schwarber was a “no-brainer,” in DeRosa’s words, to rejoin Team USA.

And until Sunday night, when Judge made a perfect throw from right field to cut down Fernando Tatís Jr. at third base in the signature play of the victory over the Dominican, Schwarber’s tiebreaking two-run homer against Great Britain in pool play may have represented the U.S.’ best moment in the tournament.

Judge is the captain of Team USA. He gave a speech when the team gathered two weeks ago in Arizona and stood up in the clubhouse to acknowledge Henderson, Anthony, starter Paul Skenes, and five relievers for their star turns in the victory over the Dominican.

But a few U.S. players credited Schwarber for helping to settle everyone’s stomach last week in Houston after a preliminary-round loss to Italy caused them to sweat for 24 hours about advancing to the quarterfinals.

“Obviously it stung and we didn’t know if we were going to get in, and he had something to say,” said Anthony, the Red Sox’s 21-year-old budding star and youngest player on Team USA. “And then we got in, and he’s had something to say every game. I’ve learned a ton just from watching him.”

Maybe a dose of adversity brought the team together. After sneaking out the back door in pool play when Italy knocked off Mexico, the U.S. held on to defeat Canada in the quarterfinals before the rousing victory over the D.R. and was awaiting the Italy-Venezuela winner in the finals.

“You want to control your own destiny, and we let that get out of our hands,” Schwarber said. “There’s no excuses. We did it to ourselves. So, yeah, a little slap in the face, and it got us ready to go out there for the quarters and the semis.”

» READ MORE: Aaron Nola got a gauge of his training with a ‘master class’ start for Italy. Will it lead to a bounceback season?

Italy’s roster is comprised mostly of Italian Americans. But then there’s former Phillies minor leaguer Sam Aldegheri, who was born in Verona, Italy, and grew up playing baseball there.

Aldegheri, a left-handed pitcher who went to the Angels in the 2024 deadline trade for closer Carlos Estévez, played a role in Italy’s Cinderella run to the semifinals by making two starts, including 4⅔ shutout innings against Brazil.

Could Italy’s success in the WBC translate to a rise in baseball’s popularity in the country?

“I think the game is growing,” Aldegheri said. “Back home in Italy, I have been in a lot of camps during the offseason working with kids, and I have seen a lot of experienced coaches trying to help the game to grow.

“They are starting to do these academies in every region, every city. I have seen a lot of kids, they start from 6 to 8. Hopefully next couple years we will have better technology, too, more sponsors hopefully come in and just try to get better.”

Italy manager Francisco Cervelli on why he decided to start Aaron Nola in the semifinals against Venezuela rather than a potential final, as originally scheduled: “My gut. I think Nola’s the right person.” The Phillies agreed with Nola starting on regular (four days’) rest. … Phillies prospect Dante Nori wasn’t sure how much he would play for Team Italy. But after a solid showing in the exhibition games, he started every game in left field and was 7-for-16 with two homers entering the semifinals. … Royals first baseman Vinny Pasquantino on Italy’s roster: “There’s a lot of stereotypical Italians on this team. There’s a lot of guys from New Jersey.”