Bundle up and stay safe in the massive storm that is hitting CA. The good news is there’s a ton of baseball to watch on TV.
A collection of All Star teams is battling it out in the World Baseball Classic, with games in Tokyo, Taichung, Phoenix, and Miami.
This first round consists of 4 pools of 5 teams playing round robin. The two teams with the highest winning percentage in each pool will advance to the knockout round.
The Angels have 17 players in the tournament, representing countries around the globe. That link also shows the players from every MLB organization who are participating.
Mike Trout is the captain of Team USA and is excited to play in the WBC and face his teammates. We could see Trout dig in against Patrick Sandoval or Gerardo Reyes of Mexico this weekend. A finals matchup of Trout vs. Ohtani is almost too cool to even dream about.
Speaking of Ohtani, no matter where he is he does Ohtani things.
Here’s when and where to watch all the WBC action.
The World Baseball Classic isn’t the only baseball going on in Phoenix and Florida, however. Spring Training will keep going at its normal pace.
The absence of so many stars will pave the way for playing time for prospects. As of this week, Jo Adell is leading the Angels in playing time and figures to get more with Trout gone.
And while we focus on the players, this is Phil Nevin’s first time running the team in Tempe. Nevin is building trust and giving the Angels a fresh start.
One of the few true position battles in Angels camp is for the sixth starter spot. Tucker Davidson has added to his arsenal in order to stake his claim to that spot.
Also in the mix for that job is Griffin Canning, whose fastball was reported at 94-95 in his first start since 2021.
CBS took a look at 10 top MLB prospects who could make the Opening Day roster of their club. An Angel was named.
To me that list is too safe. If you’re going to make a prediction, go out on a limb at least a little bit. I’ll say Ben Joyce is the prospect who is on the verge of making the cut.
The flamethrower is among the prospects who have turned heads in Spring Training thus far.
Speaking of prospects, MLB came out with a new list of the Angels top 30 prospects. A big part of that list is expected to be MLB ready within two years. Things might be looking up.
From around the league:
Everyone knows about Aaron Judge’s power, but he has a secret weapon he wants to unveil this season.
Enjoy your wet, chilly weekend as best you can. Indoors with baseball on TV. Be safe, and link what I missed.
