If baseball were better at marketing its stars Los Angeles Angels stud Shohei Ohtani would be a household name.
No player in baseball has hit more home runs this season than Ohtani’s 13. Ohtani is ahead of sluggers Aaron Judge, Freddie Freeman and Jose Ramirez.
But the story of Ohtani goes well beyond his prowess at the plate.
Four out of five days, Ohtani is the Angles designated hitter. On the fifth day, Ohtani is the Angels starting pitcher. A starting pitcher who hits third in the line-up.
In five starts this season, Ohtani owns a sparkling 2.10 ERA and is striking out 14 batters per nine innings.
Ohtani entered the major leagues in 2018 as a bit of a novelty. A two-way player who dominated the Japanese league before signing with the Angels. Three years and one Tommy John surgery later, and Ohtani is finally making his mark on the mound and at the plate.
Ohtani’s ability to affect the game the way he does is nothing short of incredible and historical.
If baseball were better at marketing its stars, you’d already know: Shohei Ohtani is not a west coast novelty act.
He’s a generational super-star.