Shohei Ohtani (L) of the Los Angeles Angels and manager of Japan’s national baseball team Hideki Kuriyama shake hands during a press conference ahead of the 2023 World Baseball Classic tournament in Tokyo on January 6, 2023. (Photo by Yuichi YAMAZAKI / AFP) (Photo by YUICHI YAMAZAKI/AFP via Getty Images)
Tempe, Ariz. — Shohei Ohtani may have already departed for the World Baseball Classic, but he is still a big topic of conversation around spring training for the Los Angeles Angels.
With Ohtani making his lone spring training start for the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday before jetting off to Tokyo to join Team Japan, Angels manager Phil Nevin knows that what happens to his two-way superstar is temporarily out of his hands.
“We spoke when he came out of the game for a little bit (on Tuesday). I told him to go have fun and enjoy his time,” Nevin said on Wednesday. “I’ll be setting my alarm and waking up and getting less sleep, but I’m excited to watch him, as anybody would be. I’m excited to watch him play in these games and pitch in these games. We’ll miss him but we will be ready to go when he comes back.”
Angels spring training: How Phil Nevin will celebrate a Shohei Ohtani WBC home run
When asked what kind of communication he will have with Ohtani during the WBC, Nevin said he will rely on the latest technology to bridge the gap between the United States and Japan.
“If he hits a homer, I’ll send some kind of funny emoji to him,” Nevin smiled. “Or whatever those little videos are (GIFs). I have a whole stash of them that I can use to send back at the guys so that’s good.”