Michael Phelps gives World Baseball Classic pep talk to Team USA

As the World Baseball Classic nears, the American team received a pep talk from arguably the greatest Team USA athlete in history: swimmer Michael Phelps.

Phelps reportedly spoke at a team dinner Monday night before attending Tuesday's exhibition win over the San Francisco Giants in Scottsdale, Arizona, near Phelps' home in Paradise Valley.

“He was intense,” U.S. manager Mark DeRosa said, according to MLB.com. “I thought it was an awesome speech. Just kind of his mindset. Second place is not going to get it done. That was kind of his message to the guys. Kind of feeding off each other and coming together as a team.”

This World Baseball Classic, which runs from Thursday through the March 17 final in Miami, has Olympic ramifications.

The top two finishing teams from North and South America qualify for the 2028 Los Angeles Games, not including the U.S., which has an automatic spot as host nation.

The Classic could also be a preview of the Olympic competition. It's possible that big leaguers could take part in the Games for the first time in 2028 should MLB owners and players come to an agreement.

Last month, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said, "I feel pretty good about the idea (that) we’ll get there.”

Baseball is not guaranteed to be on the Olympic program after 2028, so Los Angeles could be the only opportunity for any players to experience what Phelps did 23 times in his career.

"It's the one thing I miss the most about being retired, right, not being able to stand on top of the medal podium with a gold medal around your neck while listening to your national anthem," Phelps told Fox Sports. "For me, when I was able to wear the stars and stripes, it was a massive honor. I know these guys are going to represent us well and go out there, have some fun, number one, but get the W, too."