The U.S. will bring the star power to World Baseball Classic
LA TimesThere is a chance Angels stars Mike Trout, left, and Shohei Ohtani could play against each other in the World Baseball Classic. “So very soon after that, you start getting some of the best players in our game saying, ‘Yeah, I want in.’ ” Trout, announced last July as captain of Team USA, helped recruit a team that includes: two-time home run derby champion Pete Alonso; Dodgers star and 2018 American League MVP Mookie Betts; 2022 National League MVP Paul Goldschmidt; two-time NL MVP Bryce Harper ; two-time All-Star Tim Anderson, along with several others, all with their own personal hardware. “I think from seeing the last couple World Baseball Classics, this has caught on,” said Harold Reynolds, a former major league player and WBC broadcaster. So this becomes something like World Cup soccer, like, ‘When I get older, I’m playing in this.’ ” Angels manager Phil Nevin has said one of his favorite memories as a player was wearing “USA” on his chest, playing for the team in the Olympics while he was in college. “It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for a lot of these guys.” Seven-time All-Star Nelson Cruz played for the Dominican Republic in the first three tournaments and now is the team’s general manager.
History of this topic
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