The 2023 World Baseball Classic will be decided between the United States and Japan.
The final game will be on Tuesday, at 7:00 pm in Miami.
It will feature two of the best players of our generation: Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani.
Trout is the captain of Team USA, and Ohtani is the single most important player on Japan’s roster.
They both play for the Los Angeles Angels in MLB.
The United States have a historically good offense, led by Trout but also containing Mookie Betts, Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Kyle Tucker, JT Realmuto, Tim Anderson, Kyle Schwarber, Bobby Witt Jr., Cedric Mullins, Trea Turner and more.
The unit is explosive and incredibly productive.
With Ohtani starring as both a pitcher and a hitter, Japan is undefeated in the 2023 WBC.
Ohtani has a 1.421 OPS and a 2.08 ERA.
You can say that the countries that have them have had a marvelous tournament and are in pretty good shape.
You would think that if they happen to play together, that team would be elite, huh?
Well, think again.
—Ethan Fisher (@efisher330) March 21, 2023
As Ethan Fisher reminds us, the Angels are just not that great even though they have had two generational talents since 2018.
Trout has been with the Angels since 2011.
The last time they made it to the postseason was in 2014, an MVP-caliber season by Trout.
They haven’t been good enough to qualify ever since, in what is one of the most shocking developments in professional sports.
The Angels happen to be a dysfunctional franchise.
They don’t always do the right things or make moves to position themselves to compete.
Unfortunately, that has left Trout and Ohtani without postseason baseball for a very long time.
NEXT:
Shohei Ohtani’s Brand Has Been Given A Boost This Month
