Mancini Opts Out Of WBC To Focus On Spring Training With Cubs

Trey Mancini decides to remain with the Chicago Cubs for spring training instead of playing in the World Baseball Classic for Team Italy.

Trey Mancini will remain with the Chicago Cubs through spring training instead of playing for Team Italy at the World Baseball Classic.

"We thought it might behoove me to be there the whole time with the team," Mancini said in a Zoom meeting with Cubs media. "Especially since I'm going to be a kind of more veteran presence in the clubhouse. So, it probably will be better for me to stay there all spring and get to know the guys and be there."

Mancini recently signed a two-year deal with the ability to play multiple positions – first base, outfield and designated hitter.

“I can play different places," Mancini said on Zoom. "That's going to be my role, is moving around. It'll probably depend on who's pitching on the other team. Where I'm playing is going to depend on that. So, that's what (manager David Ross) told me when I talked to him on the phone. And I told him, 'You know, I don't care where I play at all. I just like playing.'"

Mancini won a World Series with the Houston Astros after getting traded from the Baltimore Orioles. But he never quite found his offensive rhythm, going .148 in September and 1-for-21 in the postseason.

"You learn a lot," Mancini said. "You have to stick through those tough times. And even when you're not feeling great, you're playing for something much bigger than yourself. And that's something I knew even before that, but whenever you're going through it, it's tough. You have to stay the course, because your number is going to be called when you least expect it. And that's what happened in Game 5 of the World Series when Yuli (Gurriel) went down, You've got to be ready every time."

Mancini overcame stage 3 colon cancer and went on to become the American League Comeback Player of the Year in 2021.

The Cubs are hoping Mancini can regain that form.

“Before I went through any of that, baseball slumps were the biggest issue I'd ever faced in my life," Mancini said. "And I'm lucky to say that that that was the biggest problem that I had. It puts a lot of things in perspective. I haven't changed a lot as a player, I'd say. I still have the same intensity, still really want to do well and contribute and be a huge impact on the team. But it does make you realize what a real problem is and what a baseball problem is, and, you know, you can get through any of them."

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