If the imaginary “baseball genius” appears in reality, wouldn’t it be Shohei Ohtani (30, LA Dodgers).
His pursuit of perfection in everything made Ohtani a unicorn-like being, like an imaginary animal.
Ohtani, who wanted to be a “perfect baseball player,” has been thoroughly managing himself since childhood.
Ohtani’s “Mandarat Plan Table” while attending Hanamaki Higashi High School is an example of his tendency.
The plan is what Ohtani aimed for the top pick of eight teams in the Japanese professional baseball rookie draft.
Eight detailed goals are written to achieve one key goal. In addition, a total of 64 practical tasks are written, 8 tasks to be implemented according to 8 detailed goals.
To achieve his goal of being the first pick of eight draft clubs, Ohtani planned to raise his body shape, breaking ball control, ball control, ball control, humanity, and luck.
To develop baseball skills, he focused not only on completing folk balls, developing flexibility, and controlling his diet, but also on his humanity and luck. He strived to become an exemplary player by thanking, courteous, caring, greeting, and picking up trash.
Even after entering the Major League Baseball (MLB), Ohtani drew attention by following the plan, such as picking up trash.
He also created a plan chart that included goals to be achieved every year from the age of 18 to 42.
I’m not doing it as it is, but the contents show that Ohtani is doing his best to achieve his childhood goals.
For Ohtani, who emphasizes that “throwing and throwing is the only baseball I know,” a player who is both a pitcher and a batter is “perfect.”
Ohtani, who is looking at perfection, has never given up on “both pitching and hitting” since entering the professional league.
Ohtani played as a pitcher in high school and already threw a fastball of 160km/h, and also played as an outfielder, showing talent in hitting.
Ohtani, who joined Nippon Ham Fighters in the 2013 Japanese professional baseball rookie draft as the No. 1 overall pick, continued his career as a combined hitter in the professional league.
During his five seasons in the Japanese professional baseball league, Ohtani recorded 42-15 losses with a 2.52 ERA in 85 games as a pitcher and a batting average of 0.286 518 homers, 166 RBIs and 150 runs in 403 games as a batter.
Ohtani, who dominated the Japanese professional baseball league, turned to MLB after the 2017 season. Numerous clubs sent love calls to Ohtani, who announced his entry into MLB, and Ohtani focused on “what do you think about the double play of pitching?”
He was determined to continue his challenge as a pitcher on the world’s best stage.
Ohtani joined hands with the Los Angeles Angels, who aggressively expressed their willingness to support the challenge of playing as both a pitcher and a batter. He signed a six-year contract and a down payment of 2,315,000 U.S. dollars.
With the support of the club, Ohtani has advanced toward his dream.
In 2018, the first year of MLB’s debut, he won 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA in 10 games as a pitcher and a batting average of 0.285 with 22 home runs, 61 RBIs and 93 runs in 104 games as a batter, and won the Rookie of the Year award, which is only once in his life.
Since joining the MLB, Ohtani has enjoyed greater wealth and honor than in the days of Japanese pro baseball, but his attitude has not changed much. His thorough self-management has remained the same.
Ohtani changed MLB history by continuing his cartoonish baseball career with the Angels.
In 2021, both pitchers and fielders were selected as All-Stars, and in 2022, both pitchers and batters met the regular innings and the regular at-bats. They were all the first in MLB history.
In 2021, he won his first MVP award as a batter with a batting average of 0.257 with 46 home runs and 100 RBIs with an on-base plus slugging percentage (OPS) of 0.965 and a pitcher with 9 wins, 2 losses and a 3.18 ERA.
As Ohtani continued his challenge, he improved his pitching and hitting skills. Last year, Ohtani was named MVP once again, with a batting average of 0.304 in 135 games, 44 homers, 95 RBIs, 20 steals, 102 runs scored, OPS of 1.066, and a 10-5 record with an ERA of 3.14 in 23 games as a pitcher.
In 2021 and 2023, Ohtani also won MVP unanimously, which was also MLB’s first ever.
Ohtani, who also worked as a hitter and produced a cartoon-like scene at the World Baseball Classic (WBC), a national competition led by the MLB Secretariat in 2023, has emerged as an icon of global sports beyond baseball.
When Ohtani became a free agent (FA) after the 2023 season, great attention was paid to the size of the contract.
Ohtani also made history in his contract. He also made a huge 10-year, 700 million-dollar contract with the Dodgers. It was the largest ever in the history of professional sports.
Ohtani could not play as a pitcher in the 2024 season. He underwent Tommy John Surgery meant to link tendons in his elbow in September last year, and decided to play as a batter this year.
Before this season, both good and heartbreaking things happened to him outside of baseball.
Ohtani announced his marriage in February this year, and unveiled his wife, Mamiko Tanaka, a former basketball player, ahead of the MLB 2024 season opener held in Seoul in March. Ohtani has been accompanied by Tanaka throughout the Seoul series.
It shocked Ohtani to discover that Mizuhara Itpay, who has been an interpreter since entering MLB, played sports gambling and even stole Ohtani’s money.
As Mizuhara was accused of sports gambling, rumors of Ohtani’s involvement were circulating.
Ohtani, who learned of Mizuhara’s misconduct during the Seoul Series, faltered after the season opened. He only posted a batting average of 0.242 in eight games since the season’s opening.
However, Ohtani shook off the shock and got back on his feet. Instead of taking the mound, Ohtani swung his bat fiercely and played diligently, achieving 40 homers and 40 steals in 126 games, the lowest ever recorded.
Ohtani’s momentum did not stop. On Aug. 31, he hit his 43rd homer of this season and stole his 43rd homerun in the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He also had 43 homers and 43 steals for the first time in MLB history. 토토사이트
Ohtani, who has since piled up home runs and stolen bases, hit three home runs and two stolen bases at once against the Miami Marlins on the 19th, making 51 home runs and 51 steals.
Ohtani showed how powerful he was when he only played as a batter
