Up to 9 Halos could be headed to Classic

This story was excerpted from Rhett Bollinger's Angels Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ANAHEIM -- The Angels are set to be well represented at the World Baseball Classic, as several of their players have committed to play in the event, including superstars Mike Trout for Team USA and Shohei Ohtani for Team Japan.

But they’re not the only ones, as infielder David Fletcher and catcher Max Stassi have committed to play for Team Italy, left-hander Patrick Sandoval is on Team Mexico’s preliminary 50-player interest list, right-hander Jaime Barría is on Team Panama’s and reliever Zack Weiss is on Team Israel’s. Rosters won't be finalized until later this winter.

Infielder Luis Rengifo is also waiting to hear if he’s made the squad for Team Venezuela, or if he’ll play for Team Colombia instead. He’s eligible to play for either country and would start in center field if he’s on Colombia’s roster. Several Minor Leaguers are also committed to play in the event, such as D’Shawn Knowles (Great Britain), Aaron Whitefield (Australia) and Julio Goff (Panama). Angels coach Benji Gil will also serve as Team Mexico's manager.

Despite some of the logistical challenges that come with the event occurring during Spring Training and the risk of injury, general manager Perry Minasian said he’s fully on board with any Halos players participating in the World Baseball Classic.

"I think we're gonna have a lot of players participating, and I can see reasons to be uncomfortable with that, especially if you're in this chair, but certain times you have to realize this is bigger than the game and can improve it," Minasian said. "It's an honor when you have 10, 12, 14 players, however many we might have, participating in this tournament. I think it's awesome, and I'll be watching."

It's the first time that Trout or Ohtani has participated in the WBC. Trout announced his intentions at the All-Star Game and was named Team USA’s captain by Team USA general manager Tony Reagins. Ohtani didn’t make it official until Nov. 17, and Team Japan manager Hideki Kuriyama said last Tuesday at the Winter Meetings that he plans to utilize Ohtani as a two-way player in the Classic, but he’s not sure if Ohtani will serve as a starting pitcher or closer.

Trout’s inclusion helped set the stage for other superstars to join Team USA, such as Mookie Betts, Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt. Harper can’t play because of Tommy John surgery, but Reagins believes it was Trout’s announcement in July that really sparked the interest of other star players.

“He wanted to be a part of this thing,” Reagins said. “It was huge, and I think the timing was important. It was early in the process. He has a lot of friends in the game, and they came up to him and said they’re interested. Once he said he was in, my conversations became easier and easier. He was definitely the catalyst.”

Trout’s travel situation will be much easier than Ohtani’s, however, as Team USA will be playing its opening round at Chase Field in Phoenix, which isn’t far from the Angels' Spring Training complex in Tempe, Ariz.. If Team USA advances, the quarterfinals and finals are at Miami’s loanDepot park from March 17-21.

Ohtani faces a tougher travel schedule, as Team Japan plays its first round and the quarterfinals at the Tokyo Dome. Team Japan also starts its training camp on Feb. 17, which is right around when Angels pitchers and catchers are set to arrive at Spring Training. So there remains a chance Ohtani might not even head to Spring Training in Arizona and will just train and play with Team Japan to get ready for the start of the regular season.

Minasian said the club is still working out the logistics, but he isn’t worried about Ohtani getting ready for Opening Day.

“I think it’s something we’ll work [on] with him, and we’ll do what’s best for him,” Minasian said. “That’s a discussion for down the road, but I’m not necessarily concerned about any particular setup. He’s going to be prepared for the season. I have the utmost confidence he’ll be ready to go.”