Major Leaguer resume Vol.60/WBC Player’s resume Vol.46: Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Angels) as a pitcher: Major Candidate for Team Japan:“Baseball game changer!”

Story:
Today's player's resume concerns the Los Angeles Angels two-way star, Shohei Ohtani. He has announced his commitment to Team Japan in the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

The KAISPO's baseball analyst commented about a batter, Shohei,
”I recognize Ohtani as the first Japanese generation of major-leaguer-type batting form. In the past, the upper swing with a high left elbow like him might have been corrected, and he might have been a more compact batter in traditional Japanese professional baseball.

The hallmark of his hitting is his ability to draw a pitched ball of the middle and outside - pitchers he faces throw to avoid his homer - near his hitting point and push it into center and left-center. He gets his bat out over the top and pushes it up, which gives him more gravity and power than traditional Japanese batting form. On the other hand, he can adjust to major leaguer's fastballs with left feet to slide and rotate like former successful Japanese major leaguers. His batting form excellently combines the two: new and old styles."

About a pitcher, Shohei,
”Ohtani increased his slider and cutter in 2022 from the predominantly fastball-based pitching of the last season. He made full use of not only vertical and split fingers but also horizontal sliders, plus a sinker he tried the season, to dazzle batters he faced, especially toward the end of the season.

He will be a breaking ball pitcher based on his current pitch distribution. However, his overall velocity increased by about two mph. In critical situations, his right arm was so bouncy, and his pitching form was so dynamic that the arm was on his back just after his release to give a pitched ball more speed.

I want him to be careful of his right arm injury by horizontal sliders. His right arm is extended more than the vertical, so it could be easy to injure his humerus and nearby muscles. Avoiding horizontal use in early spring or cold weather is better if possible."

Shohei Ohtani was drafted by the Hokkaido Nipponham Fighters in the first pick of the 2012 NPB(Nippon Professional Baseball) draft. Ohtani played for the Fighters as a two-way player for five seasons. He had 85-42 with a 2.52 ERA, striking out 624 in 85 games as a starting pitcher, and .286 with 48 homers and 166 RBIs in 403 games as a batter in Japan.

Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Angels on December 9th, 2017. In 2018, his rookie year, he marked.285 with 22 long balls, 61 RBIs, and ten stolen bases as a batter, while he was 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA in 10 contests. He won the 2018 American League Rookie of the year. The left-handed hitter focused on a batter in 2019 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in the 2018 off-season.

In 2021, the two-time All-Star played as a two-way player the entire season. He slashed .257/.372/.592 with 46 home runs, 100 RBIs, and 26 stolen bases, receiving the American League Silver Slugger Award and Edgar Martinez Outstanding DH of the year. In addition, he tossed 130 1/3 innings to record 9-2 and a 3.18 ERA, striking out 156. He finally won the American League MVP.

In 2022, he had a brilliant season. The 28-year-old star hit .273 with 34 homers and 95 RBIs in 666 plate appearances, reaching 162 innings to qualify for pitchers with 15-9 with a 2.96 ERA. He became the first player in the World Series era to qualify for the leaderboards as both a hitter and a pitcher in the same year.

At the end of the season, Ohtani has recorded .267 with 127 home runs and 342 RBIs across 581 games as a batter and 28-14 with a 2.96 ERA and 441 strikeouts over 63 contests covering 349.2 innings in his MLB career.
(MLB No.324 KAISPO No.1505)
(MLB No.326 KAISPO No.1507)