GLENDALE, Ariz. — We can talk about spectacle because spectacle is part of Shohei Ohtani’s experience.
When he talks to reporters, he gives his answers firmly, unlike the majority of players who just talk to you when you approach them. So it was decided that Thursday would be his turn. And the Dodgers set up a kind of velvet rope to separate Ohtani and his interpreters from those posed questions. I had seen it in the mixed zone at the Olympics, but never in baseball. Certainly not on Feb. 9, which is supposed to be a brief moment of early spring training.
But this is also the way Ohtani operates, especially since so many people want to record his every move, especially at home. So there were about 70 reporters on the other side of the velvet rope, 50 of them from Japan. Another reason why Ohtani is limiting his comments to the media is because of his thorough and detailed preparation system, according to his representatives, he became the first player in MLB history to pitch and hit this many times in record time. This is because he was able to reach the level he wants to remain. The Dodgers agreed to a 10-year, $700 million contract with him.
As a result, I no longer think about spectacle as much as special things. Considering Ohtani doesn’t have to prepare as a pitcher and pitch in at least one major league game a week, that’s how special Ohtani’s offensive performance will be in 2024. . He has recovered from Tommy John surgery and aims to be a two-way player again next season.
“That’s a really interesting question,” Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow said. “It’s hard to even guess.”
If you want to start tackling guesswork, consider the following:
- When Ohtani underwent his first Tommy John surgery and just hit in 2019, it was just his second year in MLB. He was 24 years old. And he didn’t play the first six weeks or the last two weeks of that season. He is now fully accustomed to MLB pitching and routines and is fully developed at 29 years old. And on Thursday, Ohtani was already swinging at full strength, saying the Dodgers expect him to be the everyday DH from the beginning of the season.
- The last time we saw Ohtani, he was batting .304 with 46 home runs, 20 stolen bases, eight triples, and a 1.066 OPS. That means he made every effort to start 23 games. That said, at one point, he had a laceration on his left elbow. It was never played in the final month of the season. That’s because there was a revolving door of leadoff hitters, Mike Trout didn’t hit many doubles due to injury, and there was often someone behind him in an Anthony Rendon uniform.
So what’s possible if you skip preparing for the start of your 20s? Did your elbow tear heal? Will the AL MVP be favored by Will Smith, Teoscar Hernandez, or Max Muncy after NL MVP runner-up Mookie Betts and third-place finisher Freddie Freeman?
“Offensively, I feel like we’re not just a small level, we’re several levels above,” Ohtani said.
So what does that mean? Ohtani would have been in the top five MVPs last year just based on his offensive ability. If he has a fully healthy season with this batting lineup, could he hit 60 home runs? 40 stolen bases? 15 triples?
“That’s a fair question,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “That wasn’t too much of a factor in us making this deal. But I think it definitely applies to stolen bases as well. As a result of not trying to save his legs for pitching, he doesn’t steal bases. He’ll be more aggressive up top. It’s a logical extension that having his feet underneath him would give him an added advantage offensively. But we don’t really know. But that production level We’re going to bet that whatever it is, it’s going to be really good.”
Ronald Acuña Jr., who won the National League MVP over Betts and Freeman last year, became the first player to go 40/70 (41 home runs/73 stolen bases). The most stolen bases in a season with 50 home runs were Willie Mays and Alex Rodriguez, who stole 24 bases. Is it in play? Is it 60/30?
That’s because in addition to how often they get on base, Freeman (21 stolen bases) and Betts (14 stolen bases) steal 35 out of 39 stolen base attempts. If the batting lineup is as expected, with Betts and Freeman hitting 1-2 like they were last year, not only could they be on base over 40 percent of the time in front of Ohtani, but they could potentially may be forced to go after Ohtani. But perhaps because of his speed on the bases, he could be distracted or use his fastball. With this calculation, what does it mean that he hit 44 home runs in 135 games with the Dodgers while also being a pitcher in the Angels’ lineup?
And that’s before you even start considering triple base. That’s because Ohtani has the second-most triples (22) over the past three years (Amed Rosario has 23) despite being a full-time starting pitcher.
“that [lineup] It will be interesting to see how the protection points develop and how effective or ineffective they are,” Friedman said. “I don’t know the exact order, but just circling around Mookie and Freddie should be important to opposing pitchers. And it’ll be interesting to see how many more pitches they can throw.” [Ohtani] Be able to hit. ”
The two-way star is trying to become just a hitter. He may not talk about it much, but I have a feeling that everyone else will.
