All eyes on Shohei Ohtani as Angels open season at Oakland
OAKLAND — The world, the baseball world at the very least, will be watching two-way star Shohei Ohtani as the Angels begin their season with one of the game’s brightest young phenomenons.
When will he get that first plate appearance? It’s likely to be one of the first three games, but might that be as soon as opening day? How about his first major league hit? When will he strike out a batter and generate statistics as both a batter and pitcher?
Much of that is up to manager Mike Scioscia and his plan for someone he has called an “extraordinary” talent.
“He’s got all eyes on him right now,” teammate Kole Calhoun said. “Somebody that’s completely talented and fun to watch play. I’m excited to see how it plays out. He definitely has all the talent in the world.” What a special moment — and certainly a spectacle, too — it should be when Ohtani makes his major league debut as a two-way sensation for Los Angeles.
“Shohei’s talent is real and obviously we believe in it,” Scioscia said. “We anticipate him being both ready to pitch and hit when the season starts. And we’re going to work hard to reach that goal from now until we start the season.”
Garrett Richards, plagued by injuries the past two seasons , gets the ball for the Angels in Thursday’s opener against the A’s. Kendall Graveman makes his second straight opening day start for Oakland.
The Angels won the Ohtani sweepstakes against a handful of other teams the 23-year-old had considered joining, and the ever-smiling 23-year-old has seem unfazed by the fanfare and hype that surrounds his every move, swing, warmup toss and pitch.