The Dominican Republic has chosen former St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Angels star Albert Pujols as its next manager for the 2026 World Baseball Classic and will make the announcement official sometime in March, sources told ESPN.
Pujols, a three-time MLB MVP, managed Leones del Escogido to the Dominican League and Caribbean Series titles this year in his managerial debut.
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Nelson Cruz, the Dominican team’s general manager, and a special adviser for MLB baseball operations, plans to make an official announcement before the end of March, sources said.
“We are in the middle of the process, but we will soon reveal who was chosen,” Cruz told Rojas.
Pujols will take over for Rodney Linares, who is the Tampa Bay Rays’ third base coach.
Pujols, who concluded an illustrious 22-season MLB career in 2022 with 703 home runs, was a member of the Dominican Republic team in the first edition of the World Baseball Classic in 2006. The Dominicans were eliminated by Cuba in the semifinal round.
The Dominican Republic won the WBC in 2013, finishing unbeaten at 8-0, under the management of Tony Peña, who again managed the team in 2017. Manny Acta was the manager in 2006, Felipe Alou in 2009 and Linares in 2023.
Before accepting the role of manager in his country’s winter league, Pujols, 45, had worked in television and served as a special assistant to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and the Angels’ management.
