Dodgers: Three players that can win LA’s third straight Rookie of the Year
By Jason Reed
3. RHP Shohei Otani
Okay, this one is a bit of a stretch. However, remember that part when I said that the Dodgers may look to free agency to fill the right-handed pitching void in their rotation? Look no further than Japanese superstar Shohei Otani.
Otani is a freak blend that we do not see in baseball anymore. Mirroring that of Babe Ruth, Otani is an electric pitcher that has the bat of a slugging outfielder. Although we have Madison Bumgarner and Zack Greinke, we do not have pitchers that can hit .322 in 382 plate appearances with 22 home runs.
More from LA Sports Hub
- Lakers: 5 Players to Target Through Trades to make another championship run
- LA Chargers: Week 8 against Denver Broncos is a must-win
- LA Rams: Jared Goff wants to keep the Los Angeles title streak going
- Lakers Rumors: Los Angeles Clippers interested in Rajon Rondo
- LA Chargers: Justin Herbert wins AFC Rookie of the Month
Otani is no slouch on the mound, either. In 2016 Otani threw 140.0 innings with a 2.12 ERA and 174 strikeouts. Thus, Otani becomes one of the most polarizing baseball names on the entire globe.
Of course, the hitting talent in the MLB may be better than that of Japan, but other Japanese stars such as Yu Darvish and Masahiro Tanaka have thrived in the majors. Due to his electric bat, practical wisdom may put Otani in an American League ball club. However, as Jacob Rudner of DodgersWay put it, he is being brought as a pitcher with a good bat, not a batter with good pitching.
Andrew Friedman even acknowledged that the team would make it work if they signed Otani. Thus, the Dodgers could use him as a pitcher in the starting rotation every five days while also calling on him for key pinch-hitting duties.
Next: Best free agency fits for Brandon Morrow
Otani already has immense hype around him. If he can even be decent at hitting while delivering on the mound he will run away with the award early. Thus, if the Dodgers sign him, they could haul in their third consecutive NL Rookie of the Year award.