The Bleacher Report
Phillips thrilled to play for Team USA in Classic

Initially apprehensive, Reds second baseman swayed by team manager Torre 

CINCINNATI -- Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips was one of 27 players named on Thursday to Team USA's provisional roster for the 2013 World Baseball Classic. 

Phillips, who is currently the lone Reds player on the American squad, was elated to receive the invitation. 

"I'm very honored to represent the country," Phillips said. "I can't wait to wear the red, white and blue on my chest. It's something I've always wanted to do." 

"He's one of the best managers in baseball and was a great player also," Phillips said. "I was going back and forth on doing it. I didn't know if I wanted to really play in the WBC at the beginning. But my conversation with Joe Torre and everything he was saying to me, he convinced me to do it. I always wanted to do it in the past, and seeing how it was on TV and everything -- [but also] all the players getting hurt or starting off real slow during the season." 

Also participating in the World Baseball Classic are three Minor League players from the Reds' organization: shortstop Ray Chang for China, right-handed pitcher Loek Van Mil for the Netherlands and left-handed pitcher Chris Manno for Spain. Manno was with Double-A Pensacola last season, while Van Mil and Chang were signed as free agents over the winter. 

A two-time National League All-Star and three-time NL Gold Glove Award winner, the 31-year-old Phillips batted .281 with 18 home runs and 77 RBIs in 2012 for the Reds. 

This will be Phillips' first World Baseball Classic. The final 28-man roster must be submitted by Feb. 20. Phillips will have the opportunity to play alongside fellow American infielders like Mets third baseman David Wright, Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins and first baseman Mark Teixeira from the Yankees.

During the 2012 regular season, Phillips was omitted from the NL All-Star roster. After the season, he was denied a third Gold Glove when the Cubs' Darwin Barney won it for the first time. Phillips wasn't pleased about either snub, so it makes the honor of playing for his country all the better. 

"I'm still excited right now. I just can't believe it," Phillips said. "I thought something crazy was going to happen again, especially after the season that just happened and everything that happened to me and other things that happened. Other than that, I'm just very happy to be on this team… 

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