On MLB Whiparound Thursday, Frank Thomas said of Los Angeles Angels slugger Shohei Ohtani, “he’s not a great hitter, he’s an elite hitter,” after historic cycle.
On Thursday, Los Angeles Angels phenom Shohei Ohtani became the first Japanese born player ever to hit for the cycle. This led hall of fame slugger Frank Thomas to declare Ohtani an elite hitter who “carries the club” when healthy.
While I wouldn’t say that Ohtani carries the Angels – Mike Trout does that – I can’t argue with the “Big Hurts” assertion of Ohtani’s level of talent at the plate. In fact, if we compare Trout to Ohtani through their first 136 games, they’re more similar than we might actually think.
- Mike Trout: 136 G | 27 HR | 82 RBI | SLG .544 | wOBA .391 | wRC+ 154
- Shohei Ohtani: 136 G | 30 HR | 88 RBI | SLG .548 | wOBA .381 | wRC+ 146
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
What’s more, if we look at the team’s record when both players are on the field, we can conclude that Ohtani’s presence makes the difference on the team. Through 66 games with Trout on the field, the Los Angeles Angels are 31-35 (.470 W-L%). Conversely, in the 32 games with Ohtani, the Angels are 18-14 (.563 W-L%).
More impressively, Ohtani’s cycle becomes more impressive when you consider that he is only the 2nd player since 1900 to have multiple wins on his record and also hitting for the cycle. The only other player ever to do so? George Sisler.
Now, as if this week hasn’t been good enough for Ohtani, reports came out that the two-way phenom is getting close to throwing off a mound. According to manager Brad Ausmus, it’s “possible” that Ohtani could be on the mound by the All-Star break.
Last season, Ohtani started in 10 games, tossing 51.2 innings. He featured a respectable 3.31 ERA while striking out close to 11% of hitters, which ranked 11th in MLB among all starters with a minimum of 50 IP.