A GLORIOUS ABERRATION
Wanna argue Ohtani’s 2021 was a fluke? This’ll help.
“If nothing changes on the team, I think it’s gonna be really hard to be in playoff contention.” —Shohei Ohtani
BOTH WAYS BROKE BABE
Babe Ruth was a great pitcher and better hitter, just not simultaneously. In 1916, he led the AL with a 1.75 ERA but hit just three HRS. In 1919, the last season he regularly pitched, he drilled 29 homers, but his strikeouts dropped from 4.7 per nine innings to just 2 and he went from holding batters to a .201 average to .294. Where even the Bambino is overwhelmed, proceed with caution.
INJURY BUG
In 2021, Ohtani made 23 starts as a pitcher. He managed only 17 his previous four seasons combined, including just five in his last season in Japan in 2017. In addition to Tommy John, he had surgeries on his right ankle and left knee. It may be a struggle just staying in the rotation.
PITCHERS WILL AVOID HIM
At the 2021 All-star break, Ohtani had 33 home runs. After: 13. Why? If a guy leads the Angels in homers and slugging percentage … maybe avoid pitching to him? That’s exactly what opposing pitchers did, with Ohtani tying an MLB record by walking 11 times in one three-game stretch.
“This can’t continue to go on. We can’t annually be in this position.” —Angels manager Joe Maddon
LACK OF SUPPORT
Ohtani led his team in HRS, RBIS, runs, total bases and walks as a batter, plus wins, innings pitched and strikeouts pitching. From this we conclude: 1. Ohtani had a helluva season. 2. Less so every other Angel. This team hasn’t made the playoffs since 2014. This should be helped by Trout’s return, except…
TROUT OUTS
Mike Trout has been the greatest player of his generation. His one weakness? Health. He played 36 games in 2021, knocked out by a calf strain. He hasn’t played over 140 games since 2016. He’s only 30, but injuries are increasingly a pattern for a guy who didn’t appear on the DL until his seventh season.
LOSING LIMITATIONS
Ohtani stayed healthy in 2021 but the Angels shut down his pitching anyway. Why? Same reason Trout didn’t rush back to the lineup: no shot at the postseason, so no reason to take a risk. It’s not just about finally seeing Ohtani on baseball’s biggest stage; if the Angels don’t contend, he may not go on-stage at all.