ATLANTA — After this Mets’ season is over, Pete Alonso will briefly put on a distinct uniform.
The Mets’ first baseman will swimsuit up for Team USA on the 2023 World Baseball Classic in March. The event, which has been dormant since 2017, pits the United States towards the world’s different baseball powerhouses in one of the vital distinctive baseball atmospheres on the planet.
“I’m really excited,” Alonso stated on Wednesday. “There’s a lot of really amazing guys on the team so far. Again, it’s a great opportunity. I just feel lucky to be a part of it.”
Along with Alonso, a number of different All-Stars are anticipated to rock the pink, white and blue. While nothing is official but, and issues may nonetheless change earlier than the event truly begins, Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, J.T. Realmuto and Trevor Story are additionally anticipated to be on the workforce. Trout will function workforce captain, although Alonso stated it was the bigger Team USA governing physique that reached out to him about taking part in, not Trout himself.
“It kind of started to slowly develop right after the All-Star break,” Alonso stated of the recruiting course of. “It was a short period of conversation. Just like, ‘Hey, do you want to do it?’ The team OK’d it, and now it’s news.”
Alonso was requested if he’ll now pivot to recruitment mode. Don’t anticipate Alonso to be chatting with different gamers at first base concerning the WBC fairly but.
“They haven’t really asked me to do that,” he stated. “They just told me recently that I’m on the team. So I’m just more excited right now. But maybe if they need help, or they want me to convince guys, I’d be willing to do them a favor.”
The final World Baseball Classic was in 2017. What was once a reasonably common occasion — the primary one was in 2006, with others following in 2009, 2013 and 2017 — was placed on maintain by the pandemic. A 2021 event was all able to go earlier than COVID-19 confirmed up, and now the one-of-a-kind occasion is able to return.
“It looked like an incredible environment,” stated Alonso, who was gearing up for a season at High-A the final time a World Baseball Classic occurred. “It’s an incredibly fun event, I’ve always wanted to play in it. It’s an honor to play for the stars and stripes. I’m really appreciative of it.”
The United States is the defending champions, beating Francisco Lindor’s Puerto Rican workforce for the title in 2017. Japan gained the primary two, and a Robinson Cano-led Dominican Republic facet gained all of it in 2013. With the event going down in March — the Team USA is a part of Pool C, whose group stage begins on March 11 — that does imply that the start of Alonso’s 2023 season shall be just a little totally different than standard. On Wednesday, he downplayed the strangeness of reporting to Mets’ spring coaching, leaving for an exhibition event, then returning.
“I’m going to be playing spring training games just the same, so it’s really no different.”
The United States’ first video games shall be at Chase Field in Phoenix, residence of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They are pitted towards Canada, Mexico, Colombia and one of many groups that may emerge from an upcoming qualifying event.
Among U.S.-born baseball gamers, first base is perhaps probably the most stacked place. Goldschmidt, a four-time Gold Glove winner, will probably get a lot of the defensive reps there. While it’s nonetheless potential that different first basemen like Matt Olson, Josh Bell, Rhys Hoskins or Ty France get added to the squad, the restricted defensive talents of first basemen make that barely unlikely. Freddie Freeman, the Dodgers’ California-born first baseman, performed for Team Canada over the last World Baseball Classic to honor his late mom. Freeman not too long ago stated that he’d be “100% in” if Canada desires him once more in 2023.
Even if Alonso is relegated to a DH or bench function, he nonetheless takes delight in being a part of the workforce, figuring out that there’s a lot expertise at his place.
“It’s really special,” he stated “I just feel really honored. We have a great talent pool of baseball players in the United States. I’m really lucky and blessed to be part of the team.”
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Source: www.bostonherald.com