Shohei Ohtani was fantastic for the Los Angeles Dodgers throughout 2024, earning just about every award and achievement in his first season with the team.
The best news for the Dodgers is that the 2024 version of Ohtani wasn’t even what they had in mind when signing him to what was the richest contract in the professional sports history at the time.
The Dodgers are hoping the best is yet to come, with Ohtani making his return to the pitcher’s mound sometime this season.
But with two Tommy John surgeries in his career and left shoulder operation this past offseason, it’s fair to wonder if Ohtani can ever match the heights he once reached.
However, Freddie Freeman sees plenty of reason to believe anything is possible when it comes to Ohtani.
“I watched him tear his shoulder last year and he played two days later. I had to touch him on Game 3 to make sure he was real,” Freeman recalled. “Because when you pop your shoulder out and tear something like he did, you usually can’t raise your arm above your head.
“I watched him walk in on workout day in New York and raise his arm completely over his head. I was like, ‘How is this man doing this?’ I would never put anything past Shohei.
“Obviously, he’s been through a lot of surgeries before. I saw him when we were at Roki’s thing, and he said he was already hitting and doing all that. I’ve never seen him in person hit and pitch at the same time. I think we’ve all watched him, MVPs over and over again, so I think Shohei is going to be Shohei. I just don’t see how he’s not.”
After seeing Ohtani in a more advanced stage of his rehab during Spring Training, Freeman believes Ohtani has recovered well from left shoulder surgery and reiterated that “Shohei is going to be Shohei.”
Repeating or even exceeding the 50-50 season he posted last year will likely be a challenge for Ohtani in 2025 now that he is returning to pitching.
Ohtani never stole more than 26 bases during his time with the Los Angeles Angels, plus the left shoulder injury he sustained in the World Series while stealing may lead to the Dodgers asking him to tone down the attempts. But again, Freeman can’t put it past him.
“I don’t know how he’s going to navigate that, but maybe he just steals 50 bases before he starts pitching in May or whenever he’s going to start pitching,” Freeman quipped.
“I wouldn’t put anything past the man.”
Shohei Ohtani’s two-way skills astound Freddie Freeman
A very small group of players in MLB history have ever attempted to pitch and hit and the same time, and even fewer have been successful at it. Like many have noted, Ohtani truly is one of of one, and it is among many reasons why he is such a respected figure around the league and still leaves his peers in awe.
“Someone hitting and pitching in the Major Leagues, at this level, it’s still speechless for me. I got to watch him hit like he did, and he’s done it for seven or eight years now, it still amazes me someone can do it at such a high level,” Freeman said.
“Day in and day out carry himself the way that he does, he’s a great teammate, great person, and now he’s got dad strength coming. So maybe he’ll hit 60.”
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