Angels News: Mike Trout is Excited to Potentially Face Shohei Ohtani in WBC

Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani have always been teammates with the Angels, but they could find themselves in opposing dugouts in the World Baseball Classic.

Mike Trout was drafted by the Angels in 2009. Eight and a half years later, the Halos signed Shohei Ohtani. Neither player has ever played for any MLB organization other than the Angels, and the two have been teammates for five years.

This spring, for the first time, Trout and Ohtani will play on different teams, with a possibility that they could match up. Trout, from Millville, New Jersey, will represent the United States of America in the 2023 World Baseball Classic. Meanwhile, Ohtani, who hails from Ōshū, Iwate, Japan, will represent his home country in the WBC.

Trout met with the media last week, and he talked about the possibility of stepping into the batter's box against Shohei.

"We talked about it during the year last year because I knew he was going to do it. I get a front row seat every time he pitches when he’s with us. It’s pretty nasty. Every person I talk to that faces him says they don’t want to be in the box. It’s going to be interesting, I’m looking forward to it. He’s one of my good friends. So it’s going to be fun."

The U.S. and Japan are, of course, on opposite sides of the tournament bracket, so the earliest they could meet would be the semifinals in Miami on March 19-20. Japan opens pool play in Tokyo in Pool B, which also includes South Korea, Australia, China, and the Czech Republic. Pool C will begin in Phoenix and includes the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Colombia, and Great Britain. The top two teams in each pool will move on to the quarterfinals, held in Tokyo and Miami.

Major League Baseball has to be salivating at the idea of an Ohtani/Trout matchup in the WBC, as it highlights one of the most wonderful aspects of the tournament. It's pretty great to have so many of the best players in MLB playing in the tournament this year.