Former MLB star Dennis Cook to manage Poland
The Polish Baseball Federation announced the appointment of former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher Dennis Cook as the manager of the Baseball National Team. Former Olympian Paul Bragiel will serve as the bench coach and a special advisor to the programme. Veteran MLB manager and coach John McLaren also joined the staff.
"Meeting Paul Bragiel was an incredible stroke of luck," commented Federation President Paweł Szczepanik. "The energy and shared vision have allowed us to start working with great coaches like Dennis Cook and John McLaren. We know our capabilities, but to succeed in sports, you must overcome weaknesses."
Cook enjoyed a 15-year MLB career. He appeared in 665 games and contributed to World Series titles in 1997 (Florida Martins) and 2002 (Anaheim Angels). He has coaching experience in Europe as the Swedish National Team manager. He has also coached for the German and Italian National Teams.
"What led me to the Polish [job] is the same thing that led me to the Swedish -- they were up and coming and starting from the ground up," Cook said to MLB.com. "I think Poland is very far down in the rankings. I think that their federation is finally starting to put a push together to see what they can do. The potential is there."
McLaren managed the Seattle Mariners (2007 and 2008) and the Washington Nationals (2011) and coached for various organizations from 1986 to 2017. He is an international baseball veteran who has participated in the inaugural World Baseball Classic as USA third base coach and worked for the Italian and Chinese National Teams. He is a member of the WBSC Coaching Commission.
“I am thrilled to be part of the coaching staff for the Polish National Team,” said McLaren. Drawing from my previous international baseball experience, I am eager to contribute to the team's success and support the Polish players in reaching their full potential ahead of the 2026 World Baseball Classic.”
Bragiel is an entrepreneur who is active in investment funds. He is a former team attache and coach at the Summer (Rio de Janeiro 2016) and Winter (Sochi 2018) Olympic Games. Born to Polish parents in Chicago (USA), he was impressed by European teams (Italy, Netherlands, England, Czechia) in the World Baseball Classic and wished Poland to do the same.
“I am truly honoured to join the coaching staff, and I am committed to leveraging my experience in building sports and business organizations to set a solid foundation for baseball in Poland going forward,” said Bragiel.
"We've seen these other countries do it; why can't we?" he said. "Especially since we have such a huge diaspora - larger than all those countries combined."
Poland is tied with Finland at No. 72 in the WBSC Konami World Rankings. From 22 to 27 July, Poland will host No. 35 Ukraine, No. 47 Lithuania, Finland and No. 74 Romania in Kutno for the Baseball European Championship Qualifier-Group B.
Cook's mid-term goal is participating in next season's World Baseball Classic qualifying events. The Polish Baseball Federation is reportedly planning to scout for players of Polish descent who are active in professional and college baseball in the US.
"I think England has done a pretty good job with that. They've brought a bunch of US kids over, and now they're one of the top teams in Europe," Cook said. "Infuse some Polish-American players - there are quite a few guys that are big league players and in the Minor Leagues who have some Polish heritage - and I think there's a lot of potential there."
"You can't just bring all foreign players over there because then you'll lose the kids in your own home country," he added,
"Our goal is always to have -- I don't know -- a third or a half the team be Polish, even in this first round," Bragiel commented.
The first tryout is scheduled for 26 April in Kutno, Poland. A second tryout will be held in Chicago, USA, in June, at a date, time, and location to be determined.
