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Mike Trout has a big season ahead of him in Los Angeles. The year 2023 will mark his 11th year on the team, and possibly the ninth year wherein he fails to lead his team to the postseason.
Indeed, things are reaching a critical stage in Los Angeles, where team owner Arte Moreno is looking to sell the team, spelling all sorts of uncertainty for the future. For now, Trout is staying put.
Perhaps an entry into the World Baseball Classic will loosen Trout and get him in tip-top shape for the season ahead. The World Baseball Classic is an international baseball tournament set to be played from March 8 to March 21, just ahead of the 2023 MLB season.
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Mike Trout has never played in the World Baseball Classic before. The three-time AL MVP has always opted out, preferring to focus on getting ready for the season ahead. He missed both the 2013 and 2017 tournaments, which he was invited to.
"CF Mike Trout on his decision to play in the World Baseball Classic" - Angels News
Trout will join Team USA as the captain in 2023, marking his first-ever appearance in the tournament. Team USA are the defending champions, winning last year over Carlos Correa and team Puerto Rico.
In the run-up to this year's tournament, fans were anxious to see if Trout would make his first appearance for his country in this big-time tournament. Apparently, it was the General Manager of Team USA, Tony Reagins, who persuaded Trout to join. Reagins used to be the manager of the Los Angeles Angels, where he got to know Mike Trout.
"Mike Trout announced that he will play in the 2023 World Baseball Classic & be Captain of Team USA" - FOX Sports: MLB
Trout's teammate on the Los Angeles Angels, Shohei Ohtani, is also set to make his WBC debut. Ohtani will lace them up for Japan, and is being touted as the reason why Team Japan has a chance to win it all this year.
Mike Trout honored to represent one of the most stacked baseball teams ever
Trout will join a star-studded team that boasts names like Pete Alonso, Clayton Kershaw, Trea Turner and Paul Goldschmidt, to name only a few. Team USA are in a Group with Canada, Great Britain, Mexico and Colombia, and will kick off the action against Great Britain on March 11 at Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks..
