The term “generational” isn’t just thrown around. That’s why, when applied to Shohei Ohtani, it has more value than one can imagine. Deion Sanders, who played football and baseball on the biggest stage, once said that hitting a baseball is the toughest thing to do in the world of sports.
Now imagine a talent, who not only hits (demolishes) the ball but can also pitch. And he’s not just some casual bullpen pitcher, he’s a proper ace who can clock 100mph, and averages around 97mph. However, with this kind of commitment, and desire to play two-way, comes the serious risk of injury. Moreover, with an unending amount of pitchers hurting themselves lately (increased use of fastballs and of course, the pitch clock), it’s difficult to sustain through without injury.
Naturally, the question arises. Should Shohei Ohtani stop pitching for good? But that would force another question – what about his $700 Million contract? In 2024, Shohei is batting .370, with 11 home runs already and a WAR of 2.6. If early signs are to be believed, he could even be on track to win the Triple Crown. But all this is when he can’t pitch. That said, there are barely enough numbers to show that his hitting is drastically affected when he pitches. In fact, he hit 44 home runs while pitching in 2023.
But then he broke. And he couldn’t hit or pitch. On September 16th, 2023, Ohtani was ruled out for the remainder of that season, and he started directly with the Dodgers in the second week of Spring Training 2024. Despite being the most protected pitcher in baseball, Ohtani had to undergo elbow surgery – a clear testament to the difficulty in handling a workload and routine that includes both hitting and pitching.
Ex Mets GM, Steve Phillips discusses the big picture of Shohei Ohtani pitching. He considers this idea of the 29-year-old not pitching, isn’t bizarre at all, but rather something that warrants serious consideration.
Should Shohei Ohtani give up pitching?#MLBNow | @StevePhillipsGM | @AlLeiter22 pic.twitter.com/yQYLtR0FXj
— MLB Now (@MLBNow) May 7, 2024
“He (Shohei Ohtani) was the most protected starting pitcher of aces out there because he was in a six-man rotation and he still broke down. So how do you manage him moving forward because if he was the most protected and he broke down and had Tommy John surgery, you have to protect him more now than you did before. Plus you need a six-man rotation, it affects everybody else in the rotation, and you need everybody else to buy into it.”
Steve Phillips, however, goes on to acknowledge that Ohtani is a top-tier, starting ace, and he really wants to pitch. So, he would leave him be for now. But if Ohtani does end up breaking down again in the future, then it would be time to consider shifting him to a defensive position rather than DH’ing, and possibly play him in right field.
Whether Shohei Ohtani will remain a two-way sensation is something that only he will decide. But his contract value, with its enormous deferrals, boils down to roughly $426.5 million, which still sounds like a bargain if Ohtani can keep up hitting like this, even if he doesn’t pitch. Moreover, there are no plans for Shohei Ohtani to return to the mound until 2025, but he’s on track for an enormous hitting season.
