Shohei Ohtani: Making Sense of His Greatness

Shohei Ohtani: A Historic Season-Defying Explanation in MLB

The things Shohei Ohtani has done in his relatively short MLB career have been nothing short of remarkable but what he has already accomplished through half of the 2023 season simply defies explanation.

He’s the current frontrunner among the MLB home run leaders in 2023, is having a solid pitching season, and is lapping the field in terms of WAR. Ohtani has been more valuable as a pitcher alone than many star position players have been overall but that doesn’t even begin to encapsulate how valuable Ohtani has been at the plate.

It’s almost unfair to even bring up Ohtani in the same conversation as other star players. Now, with around 70 games left for each team, it’s worth having the discussion about whether he might be having the best single season any player has ever had in the history of MLB. The closest comparison might be Babe Ruth’s 1919 season in which he hit 29 home runs (to lead the Majors) and pitched to a 2.97 ERA in 133.1 innings in his final campaign with the Boston Red Sox.

Of course, Ohtani already has 31 home runs and is on pace to blow past 133.1 innings pitched, not to mention doing so in the modern era when opposing pitchers throw 90+ mph sliders and can hit triple digits on the radar gun and opposing hitters are stronger than ever. Adding to the intrigue is that Ohtani is a free agent after this season and, up until recently, the Angels were looking like legitimate Wild Card contenders. They are still in the mix despite a really bad week but, if they continue to be on the outside looking in on the playoff picture, Ohtani could be on the move ahead of this offseason when he’ll be a free agent.

Despite leaving his last start on Wednesday early with a blister, Shohei Ohtani has posted a 3.32 ERA (in 17 starts) as the ace of a very up-and-down Los Angeles Angels’ rotation. While his walks are significantly up from a season ago and he leads the Majors in wild pitches, Ohtani is striking out nearly 12 batters per nine innings and has the best hits allowed per nine innings (6.0) among qualified starters. He has allowed more than three runs in just five of his 17 starts and, for a while, his ERA was lower than his batting average.

Oh, yeah, he’s doing all of that while being baseball’s best power hitter and, maybe, baseball’s best all-around hitter too. He’s leading the Majors in home runs (31), triples (5), slugging percentage (.658), OPS (1.044), OPS+ (180), and total bases (217). He’s also somehow batting .296 and has played in nearly all of the Angels’ games. Yes, he’s one of the MLB stat leaders for most major offensive statistical categories…while being an All-Star-level starting pitcher at the same time. Just incredible stuff.

Shohei Ohtani’s Quest for MLB Greatness

It also stands to reason that Shohei Ohtani will be a major contender for all of the major end-of-season MLB awards that he’ll be eligible for, maybe other than Cy Young because he hasn’t been as dominant on the mound as some of the others AL candidates — such as Shane McClanahan, Gerrit Cole and Nathan Eovaldi. But, for AL MVP, he is currently an overwhelming favorite, so much so that it has been taken off the board at some betting shops.

AL Cy Young might be a little ambitious but he’s as low as +700 to be named the AL’s top pitcher thanks to a field that has taken a hit recently with the injuries to Framber Valdez and Shane McClanahan. Ohtani’s rough start against the San Diego Padres this week (5 runs in 5 innings) didn’t help as it snapped a three-start stretch in which he allowed just four total runs in 19.1 innings. The Angels could also limit his workload after the All-Star break if they think he’s running out of gas a bit or want to make him more appealing to potential trade partners.

Ohtani is also in the driver’s seat for the MLB home run race as he is an even-money favorite over Matt Olson (+210) and Pete Alonso (+650). Ohtani currently has a two-dinger lead over Olson and a five-dinger lead over Alonso with Luis Robert (25 homers) and Mookie Betts (23 homers) lurking a little further back. But, considering the pace that Ohtani has been mashing at, that could be another title for him to take home after the 2023 campaign.

It’s safe to say that no player has ever won MVP of their league, Cy Young of their league, and led the Majors in home runs all in the same season. Even putting that all in one sentence seems a little ridiculous. Yet, if there’s anyone to do, it would be Ohtani and it’s within the realm of possibility.

For MLB betting news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

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