Will Ohtani be pitch-hit double threat in '21?
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Two-way star Shohei Ohtani has turned a lot of heads with his ability both on the mound and in the batter’s box this spring.
The 2018 AL Rookie of the Year put together an impressive performance against the Padres on March 21. He had five strikeouts in four innings of work and went 2-for-2 with a walk while batting from the leadoff spot.
He’ll get another opportunity to hit and pitch in the same game on Monday against the Dodgers at Dodger Stadium.
The goal is for Ohtani to get in about three to four innings of work on the mound and two or three at-bats in the second Freeway Series game against the defending World Series champions.
Hitting and pitching in the same game is something that Ohtani hasn’t done in a regular-season MLB game yet, but Angels manager Joe Maddon said we could see it this year: It just depends on how well Ohtani feels.
“[Ohtani] is well thought out and I really want to give him the opportunity to listen, because it’s all about how his body feels and how much rest that he needs,” he said.
This spring, Ohtani slashed .571/.594/1.107 with a team-leading five home runs and eight RBIs. One of Ohtani's homers came off of 2020 AL Cy Young winner Shane Bieber -- and it cleared the batter’s eye at Tempe Diablo Stadium.
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On the mound, Ohtani has struck out 14 batters in eight innings of work. His fastball has also been clocked at 101.9 mph.
Due to Monday's plans, Ohtani was absent from the lineup in the Freeway Series opener on Sunday.
“The conversation for today was, he’d rather not hit today and then pitch tomorrow and hit in that game,” Maddon said.
Following Ohtani’s start on Monday, Maddon said the team will assess whether he will be back in the lineup as a designated hitter in Tuesday’s finale at Dodger Stadium.
The Angels are looking to slot Ohtani in the second spot in the batting order on days that he pitches and hits.
“I’m looking to see him in the two-hole all year,” Maddon said. “I’ve been talking about the one-hole, but the more I think about it, the more I like him just hitting second anytime he plays.”
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Prior to Ohtani making his MLB debut in 2018, he had success as two-way player in Nippon Professional Baseball while playing for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.
In his five NPB seasons, Ohtani slashed .286/.358/.500 with 48 homers and 166 RBIs. As a pitcher, he posted a 2.52 ERA in 543 innings and struck out 624 batters.
Thus far, Ohtani's ability to showcase his two-way skills in the Majors has been hampered by injuries.
Following his stellar rookie campaign in 2018, he had Tommy John surgery to repair a damaged ulnar collateral ligament. He managed to pitch only 51 2/3 innings before the injury popped up. Ohtani still slugged 22 homers with a .925 OPS en route to winning the AL Rookie of the Year Award.
Ohtani made his return to the mound in 2020 in a start against the Oakland Athletics, but allowed five runs and didn’t record an out. It was one of only two pitching appearances he made on the campaign.