Prior to joining the Los Angeles Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani established himself as arguably the most talented player in baseball history due to his ability to both hit and pitch at a high level.
However, in his first year with the Dodgers, Ohtani was unable to pitch as he recovered from elbow surgery he underwent in Sept. 2023.
Ohtani was one of MLB’s premier starters, throwing 481.2 innings with a 3.01 ERA, 3.31 FIP, 11.36 strikeouts per nine and 3.23 walks per nine. Roughly 430 of those innings came from 2021-23, when he pitched at least 130 innings each season while also serving as the Angels’ full-time designated hitter.
With the Angels, Ohtani pitched from the stretch even when no runners were on base, but with the Dodgers, he has begun to throw out of a full windup during his Spring Training bullpen sessions.
“Traditionally, I’ve thrown from the stretch a lot,” Ohtani said through his interpetor, Will Ireton. “But as part of being a baseball player, I want to explore different options, different avenues, to see if I can grow as a player. I do that on the pitching side as well as a hitter.”
Some players test things out during Spring Training just to see how it feels before potentially abandoning the idea, but Ohtani has made enough progress with the new pitching style that he expects to utilize the windup once he gets back into games.
“That’s my plan,” Ohtani said. “But again, with increasing the intensity, I do want to see how my body responds. So yes, as of now, that’s the plan.”
Generally, pitchers have used the windup with the belief it can help create more momentum with their body to either add velocity or reduce injury by relying on the arm less. It is also rooted in baseball tradition, and many pitchers likely feel more comfortable using it from a mental standpoint.
However, multiple studies have shown there is no advantage to the windup, and many starting pitchers in recent years have decided to drop it, including Stephen Strasburg and Yu Darvish. In that sense, Ohtani is going against the grain, adding on new mechanics with no clear benefit.
Whether his new windup truly sticks remains to be seen, but after two elbow surgeries, Ohtani is likely looking for ways to help reduce injury risk in any way possible, even if the data doesn’t back up that method.
When is Shohei Ohtani making Dodgers pitching debut?
As Ohtani continues to ramp up his intensity on the mound, his next step will be to face hitters in simulated games. After that, pitchers usually begin a rehab assignment to get into games, but that won’t be the case for Ohtani.
His rehab process will consist of only simulated games and he will not pitch in a Cactus League game during Spring Training or go out on a rehab assignment once the season begins.
His estimated timeline to get in a game on the mound is May, with the possibility it could come near the end of April.
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