Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout was diplomatic in his WBC verbiage, but he's just focused on Opening Day.
Mike Trout was one of the stars who helped put the WBC on the map, popularity-wise, and the Los Angeles Angels outfield had some interesting comments to Manny Randhawa of MLB.com as he watches from afar in Angels camp in Arizona.
“You know, people ask me about the atmosphere the last time I did it,” he said, referring to the climactic confrontation he had with then-teammate Shohei Ohtani in the final game of Japan’s run to the championship in the WBC in 2023. “And that championship game was loud, but when we played Venezuela, it was real loud.”
Trout struck out against Ohtani in the one-run game, of course, but the moment has become so iconic that the strikeout is rarely held against him. Instead, the tournament has grown so much in popularity that the final games have become must-see events for baseball fans, regardless of their rooting interest.
“People are passionate about their country,” Trout said. “And it’s good to see. You could see the excitement when [Wilyer] Abreu hit that homer [against Samurai Japan in the quarterfinals]. That’s how it should be.
“I think now a lot of people are buying in on it. A lot of guys that maybe would not have done it before are now doing it. So you’re seeing a lot of deep lineups. Venezuela, the Dominican team -- I mean, that lineup is ridiculous.”
The Angels outfielder would probably rather be part of Team USA’s formidable lineup right now, but Trout was denied insurance for the WBC due to his knee issues, which relegated him to the role of full-time DH last year. But Trout is back in the outfield for the Halos, and he’s been showing much of the elite speed that helped make him a star in the first place.
“It’s been a great tournament,” Trout said. “You’ve got some teams that are hot. [Italy] has a good team, good lineup. It’s good to see.”
Trout is being appropriately diplomatic about all this, but given his competitive nature it’s safe to assume that being ruled out of the WBC has to be eating him up inside.
He’d like nothing better than to go on a tear right out of the gate in March and April to make him relevant as a superstar again, but both the Angels and Trout have been careful to monitor his buildup as Trout returns to his old spot in center field.
Trout added a comment about everybody being “really excited” to see last night’s matchup between Team USA and Team Dominican Republic, but the real excitement for the Angels star starts on Opening Day, when we get our first chance to see if his surprising comeback is for real.