Shohei Ohtani has established himself as one of the best hitters in Major League Baseball, but it is easy to overlook the fact that he can be just as dominant on the mound.
In parts of five seasons as a pitcher with the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani went 38-19 with a 3.01 ERA, 3.30 FIP, 1.08 WHIP and 11.4 strikeouts per nine over 481.2 innings (86 starts). He finished fourth in American League Cy Young Award voting during the 2022 season.
Ohtani didn’t during his first season with Los Angeles Dodgers due to recovering from a second right elbow surgery, but he fully intends to return to the mound in 2025 despite an earlier report suggesting the possibility of becoming a full-time position player.
When recently looking ahead to Ohtani’s pitching return, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts expressed hope he will make a strong impact, via Jack Harris of the L.A. Times:
“Hopefully, when he’s pitching next year, he can mirror somewhat what he’s doing offensively,” Roberts said. “But I think there’s something to just, the kind of focus on the one aspect of the game.”
With essentially only hitting to focus on, Ohtani put together a remarkable season that saw him become the first player in MLB history with 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in the same year. There was some belief that Ohtani benefitted immensely from being able to lock in on his duties as a designated hitter.
That did change in some sense late in the year and into the playoffs as Ohtani began throwing bullpen sessions. It fueled speculation of potentially becoming a pitching option for the Dodgers in the World Series but the team continued to err on the side of caution.
Dodgers adjust Shohei Ohtani’s pitching routine
Ohtani had been throwing regular bullpen sessions during Dodgers Spring Training workouts at Camelback Ranch but that changed late last month.
Ohtani has not thrown off the mound since Feb. 25, and it’s unclear when he will next do so. Roberts explained the Dodgers made a decision to ease up on Ohtani’s pitching progression as he began to see an increase in at-bats with getting into the lineup for Cactus League games.
It’s unclear what impact, if any, the adjustment will have on the Dodgers’ initial projection of having Ohtani join their starting rotation in May.
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