For those that have been following Shohei Ohtani throughout his baseball career, you were aware of his dominance on both offense and defense.
Ohtani made a name for himself in Japan, playing in the Nippon Professional Baseball’s Pacific League. He also represented Japan on the international stage at the WBSC Premier12 tournament, as well as the U-18 World Cup.
What made Ohtani such an interesting player was his brilliance on the mound and in the outfield. He truly was the real deal as Ohtani could hit home runs and then strike out the side, all in the same inning.
When Ohtani was rumored to be signed by a Major League club, many wondered if he would strictly be a position player, or if he would be a pitcher. It is extremely rare to see a player pitch one day and then DH or play the outfield the following day, so there was the chance that Ohtani would be a one-trick-pony coming over from Japan to America.
However, the Los Angeles Angels were one of the few teams that were fine with Ohtani playing both sides of the ball, which is why he decided to make the jump from the NPH to Anaheim, California.
Well, the relationship between Ohtani and Anaheim has paid off, as Ohtani has become the first player in MLB history to be named an All-Star as a pitcher and position player.
2021 has been a dominant year for Ohtani has he has tallied a career-high in RBI (67), Home Runs (31) and Stolen Bases (12) already and currently leads the league in Home Runs, Triples (4) and SLG % (.704). Ohtani’s explosion this season has taken place in just 77 games in only 277 at-bats.
As a pitcher, Ohtani is 3-1 this season with a 3.60 ERA in 12 starts. He has pitched 60 innings this season, allowing just 6 Home Runs and only 24 Earned Runs.
Ohtani’s excellence in the field and in the batter’s box is one of the reasons the Angels will battle for a playoff spot in the future. The Angels are 9 games back of the Astros in the American League West but are 42-41 on the season so far.
It’s more likely that the Angels would reach the playoffs through the Wild Card. They are currently 5.5 games back of the Oakland Athletics for last spot in the AL Wild Card.
To win the World Series, the Angels are longshots according to betting odds. LA is currently listed at +8000 (10Bet) to win the World Series in 2021.
Ohtani currently dominates American League MVP voting, however. He is listed at -220 (10Bet) to win his first MVP award. Despite being a menace on the mound, Ohtani is listed at +6000 to win the AL Cy Young.
The RHP/DH/OF may have changed Major League Baseball’s perception of a positional player also pitching. Ohtani is truly a unicorn in the game and is a special player to watch, night-in and night-out.
