Los Angeles Angels: Mike Trout May Participate in WBC
All-star, MVP, Rookie of the Year, Hank Aaron Award winner, and Silver Slugger winner, Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout may be coming to team USA.
In a recent interview with Mike DiGiovanna, Mike Trout said:
"I mean, definitely, in the future, for sure," Trout said Monday, when asked if this spring's tournament has increased his desire to play in the next WBC. "If I get the opportunity to do it again, I'll probably do it."
This could be huge for Team USA. With Trout admitting the possibility of playing. This may open the door for stars such as Bryce Harper, Kris Bryant, and Noah Syndergaard to actually represent Team USA in the next World Baseball Classic.
In a perfect world, Team USA could have an outfield consisting of Trout, Harper, and Giancarlo Stanton. Pair that with a possible start from Clayton Kershaw. Relief appearances from Syndergaard and Madison Bumgarner. Suddenly Team USA appears as if they could be unstoppable.
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The Future of the Game
The kind of star power that Trout alone would bring to the game would be monumental. That mixed with the rest of Team USA's potential and you could have baseball's version of The Dream Team. Not only would this be good for the team, however, but this would be good for baseball as a whole. When you look at the attendance of the game between USA and Dominican Republic, for example. Marlins' Park was at maximum capacity for the event. For a sport that many say is on the decline, the numbers argue otherwise.
I think that the attitude towards the WBC is slightly changing after seeing how lively and passionate Dominican fans were and the almost Cinderella story of the Columbian team. All the way down to the utterly heartbreaking defeat of the USA against DR. I think there is still a lot for the WBC to offer, we just have to continue to give it a chance.
With the sport on the rise again, from a global perspective, and the potential for, arguably, the face of baseball to participate in the next WBC, I would say things are looking up for USA baseball. Now, if only manager-challenged instant replay were in all rounds of the WBC, we would be set.
