by Shohei Ohtani, the Angels two-way superstar has taken Major League Baseball by storm since arriving from Japan in 2018. He is changing the way the game is played right before our very eyes. But first we must dive further into what makes him so special and why he is good for baseball.
Ohtani is a generational talent. He is doing something in this sport that hasn’t been done since Babe Ruth over a century ago. But two differences set them apart, Ruth stopped pitching at age 24 on a regular basis to focus more on hitting. The other big difference is simply just speed. Unlike Babe Ruth, Ohtani has wheels and doesn’t mind flashing them from time to time. Just last season he recorded 26 steals finishing 8th in all of baseball.
AL Rookie of The Year
Shohei’s rookie year was unlike any other we’ve seen. Prior to the start of the season, the Angels announced that Ohtani would continue to be a two-way player just as he was in Japan. He started his career off with a single in his first at-bat against the Athletics and three days later picked up his first win on the mound. In that start, he threw 6 innings, allowed 3 earned runs on 3 hits with 6 punchouts. Two days later he homered for the first time in this country.
With this being Ohtani’s first home at-bat the crowd was already in a frenzy. Josh Tomlin was the first of many pitchers to give up a home run to Shohei Ohtani. With two on two out and a 2-2 count, Ohtani sent a breaking ball over the right field wall 397 feet away from home plate to give the Angels a 6-2 lead. He had arrived and that home run was just the beginning of a Rookie of The Year campaign.
As the season progressed the Angels finished in the middle of the pack with an 80-82 record, 4th in the American League West. He was limited to 10 starts on the mound due to injuries. Where he notched a 4-2 record with a 3.31 ERA 1.16 WHIP and 63 strikeouts. While at the plate he was impressive posting a batting average of .285, .361 on-base-percentage, 22 home runs, 61 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases. He joined Babe Ruth as the only two players in league history with 10 pitching appearances and 20 homers in a season. Ohtani also won the American League Rookie of the Month award twice in April and September, starting the season strong and finishing it even stronger.
After Tommy John Surgery
Following his rookie season, Ohtani elected to go forth with Tommy John Surgery following an MRI that showed new damage to his UCL. Despite not being able to pitch in 2019, he still made history yet again. This time he became the first Japanese-born player to hit for the cycle in MLB history. His overall statistics for the season were .286/.343/.505 (batting average, on-base-percentage, slugging) 18 home runs, 62 RBIs and 12 stolen bases in 106 games. Unfortunately, his season was again cut short due to surgery on his knee.
The 2020 shortened season was disastrous on the mound as he started just two games. In his first pitching appearance since September of 2018, he allowed 5 runs and didn’t record a single out. Thus, starting his season with a loss and an infinite ERA. A week later he made his 2nd start which lasted a whopping 1 2/3 innings. He was inefficient as he walked 5 batters and gave up 2 runs. This would be his final start of the season due to a flexor strain in his right arm. Offensively, he finished .190/.291/.366 with 7 homers, 24 RBIs, and 7 stolen bases in 43 games.
Unanimous MVP & Present
Ohtani described the 19 and 20 seasons as “frustrating” and “pathetic”. He felt “useless” as he couldn’t pitch or hit at the level, he knew he could. Following this adversity, he responded in a monster way with a historic season. 46 home runs, 100 RBIs, 8 triples (tied for the league lead) just an incredible season. As for pitching he put together his best year to date, in 23 starts finishing with a 9-2 record and an ERA of 3.18 with 156 strikeouts. Flashing forward to this season the Shohei show is continuing. On Wednesday, his two-way abilities were on full display. Striking out 10 Marlin batters, stealing a base, and driving in the winning run. From launching homers, striking out opponents and becoming the first Asian athlete to cover a major sports game in North America. The question is what’s next for Shohei Ohtani?
