Los Angeles Angels superstar Mike Trout has an interesting takeaway from serving as Team USA captain during this month’s World Baseball Classic.
“You know, I needed this,” Trout admitted on Sunday, as shared by Jessica Kleinschmidt of The Comeback. “I needed to play in this atmosphere, I needed to experience it and be in the moment. It made me think about how bad we want to get back in the playoffs. I obviously had it in ‘14, but [the WBC] atmosphere was … as a baseball fan, as a competitor, that’s where you want to play. You want to be in that moment.”
As Trout alluded to, he last competed in the postseason in the fall of 2014. That experience did not go as the three-time American League Most Valuable Player would’ve liked, as he hit a dismal 1-for-12.
Along with Trout, New York Mets star slugger Pete Alonso has also compared playing for Team USA in the WBC to participating in a playoff series. Unlike Alonso, Trout realizes the Angels likely have to end their lengthy postseason drought to have any chance of holding onto two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani.
Ohtani is eligible to hit free agency after the upcoming campaign and could earn up to $600M in total if he reaches the open market. Most recently, he struck Trout out to clinch the WBC title for Team Japan.
“It was a fun battle,” Trout said of the showdown with his club teammate. “We were both competing up there. That was my first time seeing him, obviously.”
Trout also confirmed previously reported news that he plans to play for Team USA in the 2026 WBC. One wonders if MLB commissioner Rob Manfred will use Trout to try and convince more stars to take part in the next international tournament even if it takes place less than a month before Opening Day of the 2026 season.
