Baseball: Trout hopes for WBC battle against Angels teammate Ohtani

Having watched him at work 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 that he doesn't think he's the best player on the team," said Trout, who sat out the 2017 WBC.

"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."

© Kyodo News