A long trip, but the trip of a lifetime, awaits Whitcomb

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- A five-plus-hour flight from Florida to San Francisco, followed by a 12-plus-hour flight from there to Osaka, Japan, were what awaited Astros infielder Shay Whitcomb on Thursday morning. He’s the first of three Astros players who will head to the World Baseball Classic in the coming days.

“I’ve been looking forward to this all offseason,” said Whitcomb, who’s playing for Korea. ”It’s going to be a blast.”

Whitcomb’s chances of making the Astros’ Opening Day roster are slim without an injury to another, considering the team is already carrying five infielders who expect to start. The club also acquired infielder Nick Allen in a trade from the Braves in November, so Whitcomb is likely headed to Triple-A to begin the season.

Still, the chance to represent Korea provides him a way to honor his mother, Yoonie Whitcomb, who was born there.

“That's honestly one of the things that's making it very special, is the fact that I get to represent my mom and honor her in that way,” he said.

Whitcomb, 27, is one of four American-born players on Korea’s roster, joining pitchers Dane Dunning and Riley O’Brien, and outfielder Jahmai Jones. Korea hasn’t advanced past the first round of the World Baseball Classic since losing to Japan in the final in 2009, including an upset loss to Australia and 13-4 loss to Japan in 2023.

“It's something that's been on my radar, especially as I've been getting higher up in the system and being able to debut,” Whitcomb said. “I was talking to some other players who have played on Team Korea before and I made a couple phone calls, reached out to a couple people, and kind of got the ball rolling on it to the point where the Korea team came out and saw me last year and we made connections then.”

Korean players are finding more success in the Major Leagues, with outfielder Jung Hoo Lee inspiring his own fan club -- the Hoo Lee Gans -- and second baseman Hyeseong Kim winning a World Series in his first season in Los Angeles. Baseball in Korea has also never been more popular, with the KBO setting attendance records this past season.

The team is led by manager Ryu Ji-hyun and a roster that features some of Korea's top stars, such exciting young KBO players as Do-yeong Kim and Hyun-Min Ahn, and even the return of veteran Hyun-jin Ryu to a young, fireballing rotation. Whitcomb has never met any of his teammates, but has played against Hyeseong Kim and Jones.

Whitcomb has played in 20 Major League games for the Astros in each of the past two seasons, posting a .491 OPS in 78 plate appearances with a homer. He’s been in Triple-A the past three seasons and has slashed .260/.344/.493 with 73 homers in 302 career games at that level.

“It’s a great opportunity,” manager Joe Espada said. “I think we gave him enough at-bats [in the spring]. He feels like he’s in a really good spot. It’s a long flight. He’s going to get some playing time. Hopefully he can advance and he stays out there and plays long. We’ve got a couple of guys who are leaving [on Saturday], so it will be interesting to see which ones will be the first ones back.”

The other Houston players, All-Star shortstop Jeremy Peña (Dominican Republic) and infielder/outfielder Zach Dezenzo (Italy), leave camp on Saturday for the WBC. The Astros have several coaches headed as well, including bench coach Omar López, who will manage the Venezuelan team.

Korea will compete in Pool C with Japan, Australia, Chinese Taipei and Czechia at the Tokyo Dome. For Whitcomb, it will be his first time in the Far East and a chance to make some memories of a lifetime.

“I’m looking forward to the experience of playing in another country,” he said. “I've never done it before, especially in a country where I don't speak the language and everything's foreign to me. Being able to just play and experience the game in an atmosphere that I haven't before is what I'm most excited about.”