Shohei Ohtani was the most coveted free agent the Los Angeles Dodgers have ever pursued, especially under the current regime.
The Dodgers’ valuation of Ohtani was made clear through their then-record-setting contract of 10-years and $700 million. The terms were pitched by Ohtani’s camp, and a structure the Dodgers were more than happy to agree to.
In his first two seasons, Ohtani has already managed to set new franchise and league records, helped deliver a World Series title and is four wins away from another.
This season alone, the two-way superstar pretty single handedly won a postseason game for the Dodgers with his performance in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series.
His impressive showing as both a pitcher and a hitter set numerous MLB records and achieved feats the game had never seen before.
If there are two things that Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has learned over the last two years, it’s that Ohtani’s abilities and drive for greatness aren’t fully appreciated.
“I’ve said this a lot. I think he’s underrated,” Friedman said. “I just don’t think the human brain can comprehend what he does and how difficult it is and how elite he is at both.
“And the passion he has for hitting and the passion he has for pitching. It doesn’t seem like there’s enough passion to go around, but there is with him. And he really cares about being great at everything he does.
“So watching his rehab process and that buildup and just how focused he was, how intent he was every day on the work he was doing to get himself back in a position to be able to go take the ball and pitch really well.
“It wasn’t just about pitching for him. It was about pitching really well. So nothing surprises me anymore, but yet everything still surprises me. He’s just one of a kind.”
It’s hard to imagine that someone earning $700 million with three MVP Awards could be considered underrated or undervalued, but it’s equally as difficult to argue against it.
Time away from the mound might have resulted in people to forget the scope of what Ohtani is able to accomplish on a baseball field, but he emphatically reminded everyone on one of the biggest stages possible.
Shohei Ohtani records and history from NLCS Game 4
At the plate, Ohtani finished the game 3-for-3 with three home runs and a walk. As a pitcher, he tossed six-plus shutout innings, allowing just two hits, striking out 10 and walking three.
The performance earned Ohtani the NLCS MVP as well as becoming the first player to accomplish multiple feats.
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