The World Baseball Classic is set to take place from March 8-21, 2023, from three different host countries, Japan, Taiwan, and the United States. 20 teams from four continents will face off to see which is the best Baseball team in the world.
Adapting a FIFA World Cup like style the WBC hopes to continue to gain traction for the sport worldwide. Countries like Nicaragua, Czech Republic, and Great Britain will make their first appearance in the tournament, and the MLB will be lending some of their biggest names to play in the competition.
Los Angeles Angels will supply the tournament with two big names in Mike Trout and Japan’s Shohei Ohtani, here is what the center fielder had to say about his difficult to hit pitcher.
Mike Trout on Shohei Ohtani
“(He’s) nasty,” Trout said of Ohtani. “Every person I’ve talked to that faces him says they don’t want to be in the box. It’s gonna be interesting and I’m looking forward to it. He’s one of my good friends. It’s gonna be fun.”
Shohei Ohtani on the other hand does not need his slugger teammate’s endorsement, his CV speaks for itself, Ohtani has been in the MLB with the Angels since 2018 and has a 28-14 record and 2.96 ERA, with 441 strikeouts. Shohei Ohtani has been a 2-time All Star, AL MVP in 2021, and an AL Rookie of the year.
Shohei Ohtani also has looming free agency after the 2023 season and there could be many takers for his service, but he could also stay in California if he gets a mega deal or finally wins a World Series.