Shohei Ohtani enjoyed a historic debut season with the Los Angeles Dodgers that saw him set a plethora of records and become the first player in MLB history to join the 50-50 club.
Ohtani exclusively served as the team’s designated hitter while recovering from right elbow surgery and reminded the league why he is one of the most difficult batters to face.
Ohtani has world-class power, which was often on display with his moonshot home runs that registered ridiculous exit velocities and distances.
Aside from his ability to hit the ball far, Ohtani has elite plate discipline that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts believes sets him apart from other batters, via Tim Stebbins of MLB.com:
“If they throw it over the plate in his zone, he’s going to hit it hard,” Roberts said. “It’s just the discipline that he’s showing is making him the most dangerous hitter on the planet.”
Ohtani ranked in the 61st percentile in chase percentage, which indicates his selectiveness at the place. He also placed in the 85 percentile in walk percentage despite drawing fewer free passes than last season.
However, Ohtani cut back on strikeouts and forced pitchers to throw the ball in the zone, which proved to be a successful formula.
The presumed National League MVP favorite hit an overall .310/.390/.646 with 38 doubles, seven triples, 54 home runs, 130 RBI and 59 stolen bases in 731 plate appearances (159 games).
Shohei Ohtani named Player of the Month for September 2024
Ohtani was named NL Player of the Month for September after batting .393/.458/.766 with 27 runs, eight doubles, one triple, 10 home runs, 32 RBI and 16 stolen bases over 26 games.
He set monthly-highs in runs, RBI, stolen bases, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging and on-base plus slugging (1.225).
The Player of the Month recognition is Ohtani’s fourth of his career, but first in the NL. He previously was named American League Player of the Month for the Los Angeles Angels in June 2021 and 2023, and July in both of those years as well.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
