By Kimberly Dunbar

Editor’s note: The WBC was held in March after this story went to print.

While New England was digging out from a blizzard in February, Worcester native Tim Collins was soaking up the sun in Surprise, Ariz. But Collins was too busy working to enjoy the weather. Entering his third Major League Baseball (MLB) season with the Kansas City Royals, he was focused on the upcoming season during the team’s spring training.

“When I get to camp, I’m always ready to throw,” Collins said. “That’s my goal. I’m just doing the same old thing and following the same training.”

Except this year, Collins was also preparing to represent Team USA in the World Baseball Classic (WBC). In January, it was announced that Collins was on the USA’s provisional roster, which was finalized in February.

“I was very surprised,” Collins said. “I knew the WBC was going on this year, but to even think I was a thought for the team is kind of crazy. The thought, let alone being picked ~ I don’t really know how to explain it.”

If selection is based on performance, Collins shouldn’t be surprised. The 23-year-old ~ the second youngest member of Team USA by three months ~ led American League relievers with 93 strikeouts last season.

What Collins is looking forward to most is working with pitching coach and former MLB great Greg Maddux.

“To have the opportunity to be around a guy like that and to listen to his stories is the best part of it,” Collins said. “We may not always be talking about baseball fundamentals, but sometimes, the stories are the best part. It’s something special.”

Despite what some fans and players think about this pre-season international tournament ~ because it takes time away from players’ focus on their MLB seasons ~ Collins considers it an honor.

“I think it’s great,” he said. “It’s awful that baseball got knocked out of the Olympics, so it gives our sport a chance to play at the Olympic level and compete against all countries at that level. I’m looking forward to it.”

Collins’s spot on Team USA comes on the heels of another honor. In January, the Boston Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) awarded him the Ben Mondor Award, which honors New England’s player of the year.

“I was pretty nervous,” Collins said. “I was so nervous about the speech, I didn’t realize how cool the award was.”

The last Worcester player to win the award was former Red Sox catcher and Worcester Tornadoes manager Rich Gedman in 1984. And according to Collins, the award is still in Worcester.

“It’s sitting in my parents’ house,” he said. “My fiancée and I are moving from apartment to apartment right now, so maybe one day it’ll go in my man cave when I have one.”