Tempe, Ariz. >> Andrelton Simmons has no concerns about a trip to the other side of the globe for the World Baseball Classic interrupting his preseason routine.
Just the opposite, in fact.
“It helped a lot last time,” said Simmons, who will be playing for the Nethlerlands, as he did in the 2013 WBC. “It’s like a jump start. Your adrenaline skyrockets from the first game. You aren’t playing to get ready for the season. You are playing to win. That’s a good thing. I felt really good when I got back from that last time.”
Simmons hit 17 homers with a career-best .692 OPS with the Atlanta Braves following the WBC four years ago. He also won the first of his two Gold Gloves.
Simmons has already been working out in Tempe for a few days and will have a week of official full-squad workouts, starting Saturday. He said he’s leaving Feb. 28.
The Nethlerlands, which includes players from Simmons’ native Curaçao, begins play March 6 in Seoul, South Korea. The Netherlands is likely to advance to the second round, which will be March 11-16 in Tokyo. The finals are March 20-22 at Dodger Stadium, but the Netherlands is a longshot to get that far.
Last time, the Netherlands also played its WBC games in Asia. Simmons said jet lag was no problem for him when he came back.
“I don’t get that very much,” he said. “I nap throughout the day. I’m well-rested.”
Still, it’s likely Simmons will miss at least 2 1/2 weeks, including time working with new Angels second baseman Danny Espinosa.
Manager Mike Scioscia thinks the two will still have time, before and after the WBC, to learn each other’s tendencies.
“If Andrelton comes back for the last 10 days, that will be plenty,” Scioscia said.
Percival’s future
Longtime Angels closer Troy Percival, who is beginning his third season coaching UC Riverside with a series this weekend in Tempe against Darin Erstad’s Nebraska team, said he is open to moving into the professional ranks in a few years.
Percival’s son will be playing at UCR next spring, and he said he’d “probably go two more years after this one,” to coach his son.
Percival also has already set up series against Nebraska for the next two years.
“The day I got the job I called (Erstad),” Percival said. “It takes two years to get on someone’s schedule.”
This series, though, is the only one scheduled for Tempe Diablo Stadium. Next year, UCR is scheduled to travel to Nebraska.
Scioscia, who chatted with Erstad and Percival before their game Friday, said he’s not surprised either got into coaching.
“They always peel the layers off the game in their game prep and what they did,” Scioscia said. “They worked very hard to understand what they could improve. You never know which players are going to be drawn to coaching, but those two, no doubt they love the game. They have a passion for the game.”
Also
Left-hander Nate Smith, who seemed to be on the verge of a big league call-up before getting some tenderness in his arm in his final start at Triple-A last September, said he tried not to think about how close he came to the majors. “At the time I was just hoping my arm would stay intact,” Smith said. He added that he “wasn’t too worried about it, but I knew something was going on there. If I didn’t say something it probably would have gotten worse.” Smith was cleared shortly after and he said he’s fine now. He is in camp as part of a crowd of pitchers competing for a rotation spot. … When the Angels begin Cactus League games next Friday, they won’t be using the pitchers who are prime candidates to make the big league team, Scioscia said. The Cactus League schedule is about a week longer than usual because of the WBC, and Scioscia said the pitchers don’t need that extra time. … Vicente Campos, who had surgery on a broken right arm last September, said he’s 100 percent now. Campos is also in the starter competition.
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