Having witnessed his ascent to MLB stardom up close from the dugout, Mike Trout is excited about the prospect of battling Los Angeles Angels teammate Shohei Ohtani at the World Baseball Classic, the three-time American League MVP said Friday.
Trout was one of the first MLB stars to sign on for the United States' title defense and will captain the team, which could be on a collision course with two-way phenomenon Ohtani and a Japan roster aiming for a record third championship at the March 8-21 WBC.
A showdown between Ohtani on the mound and Trout in the batter's box would be the stuff of dreams for WBC organizers, as well as something the superstar American outfielder would welcome.
"I get a front-row seat every time he pitches. (He's) nasty," Trout said during an online press conference.
"Every person I've talked to that faces him says they don't want to be in the box. It's going to be interesting and I'm looking forward to it."
The United States, which won the last staging of the tournament in 2017, will begin defending its crown in the Arizona-based Pool C, which also includes Britain, Canada, Colombia and Mexico.
Japan, meanwhile, will host Pool B featuring Australia, China, the Czech Republic and South Korea in Tokyo.
If the Angels heavyweights are to meet on the diamond, it will be no earlier than in the semifinals starting March 19 in Miami.
Along with Ohtani, Japan will feature San Diego Padres pitcher Yu Darvish and Chicago Cubs outfielder Seiya Suzuki. Skipper Hideki Kuriyama's 30-man roster also includes domestic league stars such as Triple Crown-winning slugger Munetaka Murakami and perfect-game pitching sensation Roki Sasaki.
"Talking to Shohei (about Samurai Japan), he tried to tell me he doesn't think he's the best player on the team," Trout said.
"There's no way that there's somebody better than Shohei. But he knows his baseball players. I'm looking forward to that matchup if we get there and have to face them."
The 31-year-old Trout said he regretted not playing in the 2017 tournament and was determined to hoist the trophy this year as part of a U.S. team loaded with big names such as Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts and pitcher Clayton Kershaw.
"When (the U.S. team) were out there making them plays and winning (in 2017), that's what I regretted," Trout said. "I should have been out there."
"It's going to be something special getting to represent Team USA and go out there with the whole country behind you."
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