Hey, Fletch! How about asking Trout why he chose not to play in the WBC?

[ABC]

2 hours ago, rodneydangerfield said:

I'm glad he's not playing in the WBC. Imagine if he got injured.

He should be chauffered everywhere in a school bus because what if he got into a car accident? 

[Ohtaniland]

1 hour ago, TroutBaseball said:

If it is truly a "personal reason" I think it's because his fiance is moving out to live with him for the first time throughout the season and he's giving her as much time as he can before they get married next Fall.

Fall of 2017 begins September 22nd so his schedule should be wide open quite soon after that. 

[Ohtaniland]

40 minutes ago, Blarg said:

But it is still just an exhibition. This is not a league, these are no more teams than the All Star game with the same significance. Yeah, more interesting, more entertaining but that's as far as this goes. People are trying to make more of it than is really there.

This is not a token fan voted for All Star Game. The WBC provides players a chance to represent their country and have a worldwide big stage audience. Play with and against some of the best players in the world. Help market the game and have a chance to win a Championship. The pride is there and it is meaningful to some.

[Sam Sanchez]

Yeah, I"m not sure I understand the logic because it's not an official MLB game that it's nothing more than an exhibition. These players aren't simply going through the motions, they are playing these games as if they're a championship game. Adam Jones said himself, these games and the atmosphere surrounding feels like playoff baseball. Even Eric Hosmer who has played in two World Series, and won one of them is playing these games as if they're game 7 of the World Series. I don't really know what more you need to these games to give them any credit outside of the stats to these games not being counted towards an official career stat card.

[Jeff Fletcher]

Teams are not allowed to prohibit their players from playing. I am sure they express their preference subtly or not so subtly but if a player actually wanted to play there is nothing the team could do to stop him. 

I don't know what Trout's reason is. I also don't know why he never wants to do the home run derby. He's been asked both many times and he basically just says "I don't want to." If there's anything more than that behind it, he's doing a good job hiding it. 

I honestly think Trout really just hates the spotlight and that's part of it.

And the WBC is a big commitment. Despite the US history of not going all the way, if you sign up to play for the US in that event you have to believe it's going to mean 3 weeks away from your team. 

[Docwaukee]

My guess is that the people that have Trout's career in mind have showed him how the WBC is all of 8 games per team maximum.  What if the best player in baseball has a poor showing in the maybe 40 plate appearances he'll get?  That coupled with the risk of injury and the disruption to getting ready for his real job as well as the fact that the halos likely prefer he not play.  It's a risk calculation.  One that I am sure is quite difficult.  One that has kept other lesser players off the team.  Lesser players with less to lose.  

I think he'll play next time and that would be great.  It's also perfectly understandable why he didn't play this time.  

[Troll Daddy]

I'm not seeing the risk of injury argument. Trout plays just as hard in ST games as he does in the regular season. 

Diving catches and head first slides already this ST. He could easily get hurt in these games. 

If the WBC is just a exhibition ... then ML baseball is just entertainment. 

I would love to see Trout playing for USA representing his country and the Angels. I can wait four years but it won't be as fun if he's not representing the USA#Angels. 

[yk9001]

8 minutes ago, Troll Daddy said:

I'm not seeing the risk of injury argument. Trout plays just as hard in ST games as he does in the regular season. 

Diving catches and head first slides already this ST. He could easily get hurt in these games. 

If the WBC is just a exhibition ... then ML baseball is just entertainment. 

I would love to see Trout playing for USA representing his country and the Angels. I can wait four years but it won't be as fun if he's not representing the USA#Angels. 

I don't think i've ever liked a Troll Daddy post before.  I agree with everything he says here.

I respect whatever Trout decides to do.  But I am done with the "poor Trout, he never plays in the playoffs" posts.  He had a chance to play for an awesome championship - and took a pass.

[Lou]

But Trout would be playing all-out for only 3 innings in Spring Training as opposed to 9 in the WBC, so there is more chance of an injury occurring. 

[Taylor]

10 hours ago, CALZONE said:

This is not a token fan voted for All Star Game. The WBC provides players a chance to represent their country and have a worldwide big stage audience. Play with and against some of the best players in the world. Help market the game and have a chance to win a Championship. The pride is there and it is meaningful to some.

The real answer is that Trout hates America.

[Lou]

With all due respect to the experts here at AW, I'll defer to US manager Jim Leyland:

USA manager Jim Leyland -- a managerial veteran with more than two decades of experience in the major leagues -- said injuries are more likely in the WBC due to a more intense level of competition when playing for your country as opposed to getting ready for the season. As Puerto Rico’s Javier Baez said, it can be “a war’’ on the field in the WBC.

“Honestly, you're asking the players to amp it up a little bit more … for this venue than they would in their normal spring training,’’ Leyland said. “Spring training is more of a lengthy process where they just kind of go at their own pace. So it can be a little dangerous because you’re asking them to amp it up a little bit quicker than they normally would. That’s the one thing that makes you a little nervous.’’

Leyland said the chance of injury puts a lot of pressure on WBC managers when they are in charge of some other team’s players.

“Our No. 1 goal is to send these guys back healthy,’’ he said. “Hopefully it could be in a winning situation, send them back happy. But to be honest with you, my biggest goal is to send them all back healthy. I think that’s the most important thing.’’

[Lou]

3 minutes ago, Taylor said:

The real answer is that Trout hates America.

he's a lib? 

[Taylor]

Just now, Lou said:

he's a lib? 

He's from New Jersey, so he must be one of those elitist America-bashing libs who cares more about refugees than veterans.

[Lou]

36 minutes ago, yk9001 said:

I don't think i've ever liked a Troll Daddy post before.  I agree with everything he says here.

I respect whatever Trout decides to do.  But I am done with the "poor Trout, he never plays in the playoffs" posts.  He had a chance to play for an awesome championship - and took a pass.

lol @ awesome championship.

without the help from Mr Googles, I bet 99% of baseball fans couldn't name the winner of the last WBC

Edited March 20, 2017 by Lou

[Lou]

Just now, Taylor said:

He's from New Jersey, so he must be one of those elitist America-bashing libs who cares more about refugees than veterans.

poor people are so annoying 

[Tank]

I'm glad people like the WBC, but I couldn't care less about it. I don't care who plays, and I don't care about who doesn't play. It's also tough for me to transition from the intensity of hockey to the leisurely pace of baseball right now. I'm just not ready for it.

[yk9001]

Just now, Lou said:

lol @ awesome championship.

without the help from Mr Googles, I bet 99% of baseballs fans couldn't name the winner of the last WBC

The same percentage couldn't name who won the NCAA men's basketball championship four years ago.

I saw the crowds internationally - and in Miami.  MLB could only wish it had that kind of passion for 99% of its games.

Nobody is going to change anybody's mind.  If Trout wants to skip, that is fine with me.  But my own eyes can tell me the caliber of this tournament.

[Lou]

11 hours ago, #CF8 said:

He should be chauffered everywhere in a school bus because what if he got into a car accident? 

he didn't 

[Ohtaniland]

28 minutes ago, Lou said:

But Trout would be playing all-out for only 3 innings in Spring Training as opposed to 9 in the WBC, so there is more chance of an injury occurring. 

Yes because flipping tractor tires and running around the gym with a 125-lb barbell on his back is safe. 

[Lou]

18 hours ago, WeatherWonk said:

As does anyone managing Stanton, Cabrera, Posey, Machado, Correa etc.

How about Hosmer? He's entering a walk year. His future could be dramatically changed and he doenst have 140 mil guaranteed. And he still plays, and he plays with fire. I really like that guy. Reminds me of Erstad.

Cabrera injured his back.

ask Hosmer how he felt after watching KC teammate, catcher Salvadore Perez, injure his knee when Drew Butera, his Royals backup, collided with him on a play at the plate. 

[Inside Pitch]

27 minutes ago, Lou said:

Cabrera injured his back.

ask Hosmer how he felt after watching KC teammate, catcher Salvadore Perez, injure his knee when Drew Butera, his Royals backup, collided with him on a play at the plate. 

Didi Gregorius had left the Netherlands team with a shoulder injury.  http://m.mlb.com/news/article/220107366/didi-gregorius-off-dutch-roster-with-injury/

The 27-year-old had performed well in the Classic, hitting .348 (8-for-23) with four doubles, a home run and eight RBIs in six games to help the Dutch advance to the semifinals. He felt stiffness while throwing before Saturday's exhibition against the D-backs.

"That's always your concern when guys play in the WBC, is they're not with you," Girardi said. "They're not in your hands and that's the hard part. I mean, arm injuries can happen, that's the bottom line. The thing is, he hasn't played a ton of defense."

"If it is going to be a DL [situation], we've got a lot more to discuss than maybe what we thought we had to," Girardi said.

[Lou]

 

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. – So much for the Yankees’ perfect spring.

Didi Gregorius, their starting shortstop, is shut down with a shoulder injury he incurred playing for the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic. He is on his way back to Tampa from Los Angeles and will undergo further tests.

Looks like Tyler Wade could be the Opening Day shortstop.

Joe Girardi dropped the news Monday morning at the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches before the Yankees played the Nationals.

“He had stiffness in his arm, so we had an MRI out in LA,’’ Girardi said. “He has a hematoma of his subscapularis muscle. Because we haven’t seen him, we don’t know exactly what it means. He is going to have more tests [Tuesday]. He’s flying back [Monday].’’

The subscapularis is the strongest of the four rotator cuff muscles.

“They had speculated that it was a lat strain, but it wasn’t a lat,’’ general manager Brian Cashman said. “We’ll do further testing to see what we are dealing with. I’ll wait to determine what we are dealing with.’’

Gregorius, 27, hit .276/.304/.447 with 20 home runs and 70 RBIs in 2016 in a breakout second season with the Yankees.

“That’s a big loss,’’ Girardi said. “We saw the strides he took last year. That’s a big loss. We’ll know a lot more [Tuesday].’’

The Yankees lost Mark Teixeira to a severe wrist injury during the WBC in 2013. 

 

[Lou]

1 hour ago, CALZONE said:

Yes because flipping tractor tires and running around the gym with a 125-lb barbell on his back is safe. 

apples, I'd like you to meet oranges 

[Mark68]

20 hours ago, Scotty@AW said:

Trout has already said the Angels gave him a choice, and it was just a personal preference not to play in this one. There could be a million reasons he doesn't want to, it's his choice.

I'd love it if he played, and he's played for Team USA before in the World Cup, back when he wa 18. 

I wouldn't be so upset with Trout as much as I'm in awe over Machado and Betances, both born and raised in the US chose to play for DR. Those guys are as Dominican as I am Sicilian.

I think the rule is that if you had a grandparent from the home country, you're eligible.

 

In the case of the Netherlands, most of their good players are from the Netherlands Antilles (Curacao).

[Lou]

1 hour ago, yk9001 said:

The same percentage couldn't name who won the NCAA men's basketball championship four years ago.

I saw the crowds internationally - and in Miami.  MLB could only wish it had that kind of passion for 99% of its games.

Nobody is going to change anybody's mind.  If Trout wants to skip, that is fine with me.  But my own eyes can tell me the caliber of this tournament.

CBB fans would be able to tell you who had won it all 4 years ago if it were the last time it was held. 

nobody has stated there is a lack of quality play in the WBC, btw. I look forward to seeing an MLB player strutting around with his WBC medal around his neck...

or do they get patches?