In the box
When Ohtani isn’t on the mound, he finds himself as the Angels’ DH. Although, his results on the offensive side have also started off sluggish.
In 18 Spring Training at-bats, Ohtani’s recorded just two hits (both singles). He’s hitting .111/.238/.111 in seven games. One-third of those at-bats have resulted in Ohtani striking out.
He’s yet to hit the ball with much power in his spring at-bats. Ohtani was well-known for his power hitting potential in Japan.
Much like on the mound, with time Ohtani’s bat should come around and produce more than we’ve seen so far. However, Yahoo! Sports MLB columnist Jeff Passan wrote about Ohtani from scouts perspectives and how they feel that Ohtani needs more work to hit MLB pitching.
Earlier this week, I heard from a scout who said Shohei Ohtani won’t hit. I checked with seven more who have seen him, and as much as they didn’t want to agree, they do. Column on the concern that Ohtani won’t be a two-way player and why: https://t.co/Ec1940Pk1l pic.twitter.com/DoZodHt1jF
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 10, 2018
But as Passan points out, with Ohtani pitching for the Angels, there’s no way that he gets the reps he needs to become a good MLB hitter, according to scouts.
So what does this mean for Ohtani? Does he fade out of the two-way player and just become a pitcher? Does he continue to hit but also continue to struggle with the bat?
This is something that might unfold in front of our eyes sooner rather than later. Time can only tell what Ohtani can achieve. It’s too early to determine how he’ll do throughout his career on the mound or in the box.
Next: Angels 2018 Team Preview
One thing’s for sure, with how little the Angels paid for Ohtani, no matter what happens, it seems like a win-win situation for them.