Trying to state how good Shohei Ohtani really is provides a difficult task. Something this unique is sometimes easier to watch than explain. If, by good luck, you get to see Ohtani pitch the night you’re at the ballpark, then you can get the whole experience. Outside of that, you only see half of what makes him unique. In an age where players break the bank year after year, how much will Ohtani get on the open market?
Just How Good Is Shohei Ohtani?
This Has Never Been Seen Before
Baseball has a stat that fits in almost every situation. Somehow, Ohtani is doing something that hasn’t been done before at this level. The only comparison is Babe Ruth, which is starting to lose its comparative luster. The most significant difference is that Ruth only pitched for a handful of years. His last full year on the mound was in 1919. Even then, he only made 15 starts. Ohtani has made at least 23 starts in the previous 2 seasons.
Looking at the other side of the uniqueness of Ohtani for a second. He lost out on a second-consecutive MVP award because of a historic performance out of Aaron Judge. Even then, plenty of arguments could have been made (and it was) that Ohtani was still the MVP despite Judge’s home run total. It goes back to what the whole Ohtani package is. He isn’t just a hitter, and he isn’t just a pitcher. Ohtani is both an ace on the mound and a hitter in the heart of the order. This phenomenon isn’t something you see outside of maybe college and high school.
Hearing repeatedly how Ohtani is the first player to do something almost daily gets old. How many times can it be said Ohtani can be one hit cycle? 3 times this season already, he has missed the cycle by one leg. This is historic on its own since no pitcher has hit for the cycle while pitching. How does anyone compete against that? He can beat you in the same game on the mound and in the box. That doesn’t happen.
Just The Pitching
When the Los Angeles Angels got Ohtani, they had zero pitching to speak of. They spent years dumpster diving for pitchers to fill the rotation. Even though Ohtani missed almost 2 years of time on the mound due to Tommy John surgery and the recovery that followed. Since then, he has been on another level.
The first season he had the gloves taken off of him was in 2021. That year he won the MVP. It was mainly for the offensive numbers he was putting up. However, the 9-2 record with a 3.28 era in 130 and ⅓ innings. He followed that up with a 15-9 record to a 2.33 era in 166 innings pitched. Ohtani managed to get better on the mound after becoming the best player in baseball. He somehow got better and is still improving as the season goes on.
The 2023 season for him on the mound has been a mixed bag if we are honest. Ohtani leads the league in wild pitches with 10 and has hit 8 batters. The other stats show that he is doing as well as his 2 previous years. He is going to more of a sweeper pitch this year, and that has more horizontal movement that will come into to a lefty more. Changing grips and pitches can have a bit of a learning curve as it gets used in a game situation. The pressure of being a free agent could be getting to him more. Who knows what the problem is, or even if there is one, it might be having done the World Baseball Classic. Nevertheless, there is no need to panic.
How Will Things Shakeout?
The impending free agency of Ohtani has a big dark cloud over the whole organization. So much so that there was even speculation that he would get traded when the Angels were struggling. Fortunately, since the team is battling for the division and, at the least, the final wild-card spot, things are looking up for the Angels, at least for now. Will that trend keep up? It should, and the team should be in a spot to add, not subtract, at the deadline.
Looking back, the impending free agency for the Angels’ other star Mike Trout wasn’t all roses either. It was all but certain he’d leave Anaheim for the Phillies and join another star Bryce Harper. Then all of that changed seemingly overnight. The same thing could happen with Ohtani. They lost 2 weeks to negotiate with him due to the World Baseball Classic. A contract could be worked on and agreed upon before the season ends. Players rarely want to negotiate a new deal during the season as they see it as a distraction from the work they have to do on the field. Ohtani might be different and not care as much.
Ohtani is a talent that has never been seen in the game before. The rumors of him in Japan were just rumors. No one thought he would be this good. In the first 3 seasons he was an Angel it was thought he’d give up the pitching due to injuries. It, fortunately, worked out that he has become an ace on the mound as well as a force in the batter’s box. The short version of this is simply enjoying it when and if you can see the complete Ohtani package. It’s something that might not ever be seen again in the game of baseball. Enjoy him, whether he is an Angel or playing for another team soon enough.
Photo Credit- Gary A. Vasquez- USA TODAY Sports
Players Mentioned- Shohei Ohtani, Babe Ruth, Aaron Judge, Mike Trout, Bryce Harper
