Shohei Ohtani was supposed to be the next big thing in the Majors. He was a phenom, a unicorn, and the Angels’ next big star alongside Mike Trout. Two seasons later, things are very different. Ohtani has turned into a headache for the Angels and his two-way talent hasn’t shown up. Hope is not lost yet as new manager Joe Maddon has a chance to fix him. All he has to do is not let him throw a single pitch for the rest of his life.
Reality Check
The Japanese player can throw and hit a baseball, sure thing. The only problem is that he hasn’t been able to pitch well enough. In 2018, Ohtani started 10 games and had a 4-2 record. He also had a 3.31 ERA. The 25-year-old can play center field, he did so in Japan. He’s yet to play in the outfield for Los Angeles.
He has underperformed on the mound, but hitting is a completely different story. In 2018 he hit for .285 with 22 homers and 61 RBI. He remained fairly consistent a year later as his numbers remained largely the same. In 2019 he hit for .286 with 18 homers and 62 runs batted in. As you can see, hitting is not the problem, health is the problem.
Broken Down On The Side Of The Road
The Japanese hitting/pitching combo has broken more times than an old Nissan coming off the junkyard. Trying to play the unicorn, hitting and pitching at the same time, has come with serious consequences. He has had all sorts of problems ever since coming into the Major Leagues. To make matters worse, his injuries have scaled from mild to not fit to play over the past year.
Hand blisters, ankle problems, back problems, and much more. Ohtani has had a weird collection of injuries that would make any sports doctor proud of their findings. While his first injuries were manageable and allowed him to keep pitching, his last two aches have really put a halt on his two-way career.
Health Harakiri
Los Angeles played with fire with Ohtani’s elbow in 2018. They got burned, badly. He was placed in the 10-day DL with a UCL sprain. The alarms went off in Anaheim and yet, they let him pitch as soon as he gave doctors the thumbs up. A few months later, he was out for the year with a full-on UCL tear. He needed Tommy John surgery to mend his arm and has not thrown in a game since.
Despite not taking the mound this year, he still managed to injure his knee. His knee injury is a very weird one. Ohtani suffers from bipartite patella. He was essentially born with two kneecaps on his left knee. This was yet another injury and a setback on his UCL recovery. In case his poor health wasn’t enough, there’s another big reason he might not pitch next year.
Cole Might Be Coming
The Angels need a pitching revamp. Even more so now after the tragic passing of Tyler Skaggs. They seem to have found a solution to their problems in Gerrit Cole. He had a good 2019 season and has a few things going for him when it comes to signing with the Californian team.
Cole had a 20-5 record with a 2.50 ERA over 33 starts. He was close to winning another World Series with the Astros until manager A.J. Hinch took him out of the game. He’s more than fitting for the Angels as he would be another cornerstone for the Angel renovation as they already brought in Maddon and secured Trout to a long-term deal. This hasn’t stopped Ohtani from wanting to pitch, of course. Mr. Maddon still has a chance to fix the man. It won’t be easy, but it’s doable.
Do Not Let Him Throw A Single Pitch
The Japanese player is the perfect man to showcase Maddon’s talents. He once turned around an entire team in Chicago, so why not turn around a freak of nature pretending to be a kamikaze?
Shohei Ohtani on the mound is nothing but destruction waiting to happen. Talk him out of it, Joe. Hypnotize him or re-train him. Pry his eyes open like they did in the Clockwork Orange and show him footage of pitchers blowing out their arms if you must. Just don’t let him throw another pitch ever. Call your nearest Nissan dealer if you can’t fix him, they might just take the job.
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