Playing in his first World Baseball Classic, Mike Trout is aiming for nothing less than the title. For him, it’s all or nothing and he mentions that not winning the top honors would be a monumental waste of time.
Victorious in 2017, the Americans will once again be in good shape, but they will first have to get through the early rounds of the competition before they can see Trout realize his dream of facing Shohei Ohtani and Japan in the Grand Final.
The representatives of the *dDominican Republic will stand before them before they get there.
Trout had shunned previous tournaments and he regrets not having participated. Captain of this American edition, he played a role of recruiter to ensure that his country is represented with due title.
Bad tongues will say that if Trout succeeds in helping the Americans emerge victorious in the 2023 edition of the World Classic, he will have succeeded where he has failed for years with the Angels.
He and Ohtani form a shock duo, but the team’s management has not yet managed to bring together the right elements for the recipe to be a perfect winner. Could 2023 be the long-awaited season Angels fans have been waiting for?
A healthy Trout paired with outstanding performances from Ohtani could help make the Angels a contender, but playing in the same division as the Astros and Mariners is a tall order.
In the short term, Trout and Ohtani will focus on making this global tournament a success for their respective teams. The two friends tease each other by calling their teams the most talented and favorites.
In order to progress towards the ultimate goal, Trout and his teammates will first have to get rid of the Canadians, Mexicans, Colombians and Brits in the preliminary round.
For their part, the Japanese will have to do battle with the North Koreans, the Australians, the Chinese and the Czechs.
The grand final of the 2023 World Classic will take place in Miami on March 21.
