(Photo via Ship1231)
A lot has changed since I last wrote about Angels’ two-way Japanese sensation Shohei Ohtani; the MLB has finally seen him in action first-hand in Arizona Spring Training. The results on Ohtani so far are largely inconclusive.
Ohtani has made three appearances as a pitcher over seven innings, allowed 10 runs, and struck out 16 batters. At the plate, he’s gone 1-for-11 with three walks and five strikeouts. In his second (and best) outing on the mound, Ohtani struck out eight of the 12 batters he faced, impressing the Angels, scouts, and analysts.
However, in his most recent outing, Ohtani gave up six runs in half as many innings to a professional Mexican team featuring no more than Triple-A talent. He acknowledged his difficulties through a translator:
“Adjustments need to be made with the ball and the mound and everything. That may be some of the reasons I’m getting hit.” (via ESPN News Services)
Despite recent struggles, many scouts still believe Ohtani’s right arm is his strongest weapon and that he will adjust soon enough. His bat, on the other hand, is something that may not adjust as quickly.
“[Scouts] believe major league pitchers are going to punish him with inside fastballs, that his swing contains flaws in balance and mechanics, and that he needs at least 500 plate appearances of seasoning in the minor leagues to give him a chance at becoming a productive major league hitter” (Jeff Passan, Yahoo Sports)
While Ohtani may need these 500 plate appearances in the minors, the Angels need Ohtani now. Upon the his arrival, the Angels switched to a six-man rotation to make room and have planned on plugging him in as the third starter. Not only that, but the level of hype surrounding this guy is somewhat unprecedented for someone who has never made an MLB start. Obviously, he can’t bat in the minors and pitch in the majors, so what will become of the supposed two-way phenom? Is it possible that 30 MLB front offices were wrong in going after Shohei Ohtani? No––he’s extremely gifted and has raw talent on both ends, which helped him in Japan, but he will need to be groomed in the MLB before he can meet his high expectations.
If Ohtani can’t adjust to MLB pitching between now and the Angels’ first game on March 29th, it may be that Los Angeles avoids taking the calculated risk and ends the Japanese Babe Ruth experiment before it even begins. Hopefully, his preseason struggles on the mound will dissipate as he adjusts to all the little things that come with being an MLB pitcher, but if these scouts’ reports are accurate, it looks like Ohtani might not turn out to be the Swiss Army Knife we all expected––at least not right away.
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