Shohei thinks he's only scratched the surface

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Even after a historic two-way season that saw him win the AL MVP Award unanimously, Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani said he’s focused on getting even better in 2022, still not satisfied despite an otherworldly showing last year.

Ohtani said he’s fully locked in mentally for the season and declined to address whether he has been offered a contract extension. He’s a free agent after the 2023 season, so the two sides have some time, although fellow superstar Mike Trout notably signed his 12-year extension with the Angels with two years left on his deal shortly before Opening Day in 2019.

“Spring Training is underway, so I try not to really think about that stuff,” Ohtani said through interpreter Ippei Mizuhara. “Nez Balelo, my agent, is on it. I’m trying to focus on the season. And whether [negotiations] happen during the season or not, it’s up to my agent.”

Ohtani, 27, batted .257/.372/.592 with 46 homers, 26 doubles, eight triples and 26 stolen bases as a hitter last year, while also going 9-2 with a 3.18 ERA and 156 strikeouts in 130 1/3 innings on the mound. He earned countless accolades along the way, including serving as both the starting pitcher and leadoff hitter in the All-Star Game, winning a Silver Slugger at designated hitter and being honored with the Commissioner's Historic Achievement Award.

But Ohtani reiterated several times that he’s only had that kind of success in one season; he believes he can continue to get better both at the plate and on the mound.

"I feel like I can't be doing the same thing as last year and having the same stats as last year -- I need to get better," Ohtani said. "Skills-wise, there's room for improvement. Physically, I already feel a lot stronger than last year. So that's a good start."

Specifically, Ohtani would like to improve his control on the mound, especially after struggling a bit with his command early last season. But Ohtani had thrown just 1 2/3 innings dating back to 2019, so this year he won’t have to worry about fighting off any rust. He also saw his batting average tumble in the second half of last year, although he wasn’t helped by the fact that he didn’t have much lineup protection with Anthony Rendon and Trout injured.

Ohtani walked 35 batters in 67 innings in the first half of the season but just nine in 63 1/3 innings in the second half . He also batted .279 at the All-Star break but .229 after it.

"Giving up hits is something I can't really control, but giving up walks is something I can control," Ohtani said. "I had better command in the second half of the season last year, so I'm trying to continue that into the beginning of the season."

Ohtani said his offseason training was similar to last year, although this winter he wanted to make sure he’s more ready for the start of the season. He spent time at Driveline’s branch in Arizona to work on his mechanics and even threw to catcher Max Stassi in early February; the backstop was impressed by what he saw from Ohtani.

“I caught some bullpens of his, and he looked unbelievable,” Stassi said. “You can’t put any limits on him. He’s hungrier than ever. I know he wants to pitch deeper into games. I think it’s going to be another unbelievable year.”

Ohtani is expected to be used in a similar fashion as last year, when he started roughly once a week as part of a six-man rotation while serving as the DH in nearly every game. Ohtani also hit for himself as the pitcher with DH rules in place 20 times last year, which gave him more at-bats, but it also came with a risk because he had to exit the lineup upon leaving his start.

Angels manager Joe Maddon said he’s hopeful that a new rule could be put in place to allow Ohtani to remain in the lineup even after coming out of the game as a pitcher, especially now that both leagues have a DH.

“I’m hoping that happens,” Maddon said. “And the American League West is not.”