Angels: Is it time to start worrying about Shohei Ohtani?

When the Los Angeles Angels landed Japanese Phenom Shohei Ohtani they landed the most intriguing player in baseball. However, Spring Training has not been too friendly to Ohtani.

There are pitchers and there are hitters. There are aces such as the Clayton Kershaw of the Dodgers and there are superstar hitters such as Mike Trout of the Angels. While some pitchers can swing a good bat (See: Zack Greinke, Madison Bumgarner) baseball fans must go back to Babe Ruth to find the last person that successfully did both.

Shohei Ohtani is trying to rewrite that narrative.

If you are even minimally involved with the doings of the MLB, you likely know who Ohtani is and the hype that has followed him from Japan. Ohtani is the latest Japanese transfer to the MLB; however, he is nothing like those before him.

Ohtani stands toe-to-toe with the best Japanese pitchers to come to the MLB. An electric fastball, great curveball and slider and other good secondary pitches give Ohtani the arsenal to succeed in the big leagues. Masahiro Tanaka, Kenta Maeda, Yu Darvish; you name them and Ohtani can match them.

However, he is much more than that. Not only is Ohtani one of the best pitching prospects to come out of Japan, he has raw, explosive power. Power that nets him a 70 (out of 80) rating by MLB Pipeline. Aaron Judge had 60 out of 80.

Ohtani is perhaps the most unique, most special player the MLB has ever seen. So much promise surrounded the Angels heading into Spring Training. The front office did a great job in adding pieces around Ohtani and Trout. This could be the first year since 2009 that they win a playoff game.

That promise has since faded. While the Angels still have Mike Trout alongside new additions Zack Cozart and Ian Kinsler and an extended Justin Upton, their prized possession has floundered. Shohei Ohtani looks human.

He looks much more than human.

The MLB workload is something that in unparalleled to any major American sport. Sure, it does not have the contact of the NFL or NHL or the drama of the NBA. It may not be as physically exhausting either. However, 162 games are stretched out over six months. Teams get three, maybe four, days off a month.

Every day is another game. Every day is another rep. Even when a starting pitcher is not pitching, they are working. There is no stopping from April to September; October if you’re lucky enough to make the postseason.

Spring Training serves as a mild example of the tremendous workload that MLB players face. This is meant to get players back into baseball shape. Shohei Ohtani has seemingly struggled to handle this workload; it is only Spring Training.

While we do not know exactly what Ohtani is doing on a daily basis and how he is responded, his production is a telling sign. A bad outing against the Colorado Rockies inflated his spring ERA to 27.00. At the plate, Ohtani has two hits in 20 at-bats. He has struck out seven times.

More from LA Sports Hub

The MLB is a collection of the best baseball players on the planet and that will inevitably effect Ohtani. However, Spring Training brings a mix of established stars and unproven prospects. While Ohtani has faced some great arms and batters, such as Kershaw, he is also facing a lot of minor leaguers. Those minor leaguers are performing fairly well.

Ohtani has played in mostly “B-Games” for the Angels. The stats in these games are not collected and Ohtani essentially faces a minor league team. All signs are pointing to one conclusion; this workload may be harder than the Angels initially though and Ohtani may not be ready for it.

It has gotten to the point where MLB scouts don’t even think Ohtani can hit MLB hitting. One scout even said that Ohtani was like a high school hitter that has never seen a good curveball (h/t SportingNews).

Shohei Ohtani is just 23 years old and he has a lot of baseball left ahead of him. Whether or not he keeps up the two-way job is unclear; however, he has plenty of time to develop into an elite MLB pitcher. His pitching does have a higher ceiling after all.

But for now, it may be time to start worrying about Ohtani. Some thought Ohtani could be the Angels’ savior this season, convincing Mike Trout to become a lifetime Angel with no past success.

Next: Tyler Skaggs is the player to watch in 2018

For the sake of baseball, though, let’s hope these worries do become a serious reality.

Home/Los Angeles Angels