When Shohei Ohtani got to the league with the Los Angeles Angels in 2018, it was advertised that he could both pitch and hit at a very high level.
While most people got excited about the prospects of that happening, a big portion of fans took a wait-and-see approach: they couldn’t believe a single player could hit like a middle-of-the-order slugger and pitch like an ace.
Slowly but surely, Ohtani proved his doubters wrong and won two MVP awards with the Angels before departing via free agency.
That talent to pitch and hit at an incredible level earned him the biggest contract in American professional sports history: a 10-year, $700 million pact from the Los Angeles Dodgers.
It is one thing to watch him play on TV, which is impressive enough.
To witness his talent and how superior he is to his peers from up close, in person, is an entirely different thing.
It is currently happening to Dodgers skipper Dave Roberts.
“Dave Roberts: ‘With Shohei, as I’m learning quickly, he’s built differently,’” Dodgers insider Fabian Ardaya tweeted.
Dave Roberts: “With Shohei, as I’m learning quickly, he’s built differently.”
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) February 27, 2024
He is, indeed, built different.
He is extremely tall, broad in the shoulders: he is, as you can easily recognize, a big guy.
Yet he is extremely athletic and has physical gifts that go way beyond imagination: a big throwing arm that allows him to throw upper-90 mph fastballs and filthy splitters and sliders, enough speed to steal 86 bases during his time with the Angels, and power to send 44 balls out of the park last year in just five months.
His swing mechanics are a thing of beauty, and he is also a smart player.
Ohtani has it all, and we can finally envision him playing in October, in the playoffs, where he belongs.
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