Waiting for Shohei Ohtani to fulfill his destiny

Shohei Ohtani was supposed to fundamentally change baseball as we knew it. Instead, we must wonder if he will ever fulfill his destiny.

When the Los Angeles Angels signed Shohei Ohtani, they were getting a player who was supposed to completely change the game. Called “The Japanese Babe Ruth,” Ohtani not only won the Home Run Derby in Japan, but he also threw the fastest pitch of any pitcher in league history. The Legend of Ohtani had grown before he had ever set foot in the Angels clubhouse.

After a slow first spring training, Ohtani flipped he switch when the games counted. He was a force on the mound and with the bat, belting homers and unleashing an impressive slider to befuddle the opposition. As the calendar turned to June in 2018, Ohtani was everything that we could have imagined.

Then came his start on June 4. He lasted four innings before his arm gave way, prompting a stint on the injured list and an end to his exploits on the mound. Ohtani would come back for one final pitching appearance on September 2, lasting 49 pitches before being removed. He would undergo Tommy John surgery, keeping him off the mound for all of 2019.

The delayed start to the 2020 season helped Ohtani, as he was able to continue his rehab at a relaxed pace as he got ready for the start of the season. As it turned out, his anticipated return to the mound lasted for all of two starts and 80 pitches before injuries struck again. This time, he has a flexor pronator mass strain, which will keep him from throwing for four to six weeks.

He currently remains day to day as the Angels designated hitter. Even as he was recovering from Tommy John surgery, and battling injuries in 2018, Ohtani was still a threat at the plate, hitting homers and showing surprising speed on the basepaths. He was as advertised with the bat.

And frankly, when healthy, he was as advertised on the mound. The problem is that he cannot stay healthy, his arm and shoulder unable to put up with the strain. At this point, all we can do is dream about what one healthy season would be like, let alone a full career.

We can still dream about what a healthy Shohei Ohtani could be as a player and how he could change Major League Baseball. But at this point, those eight games on the mound to begin his career may be as close as we get for a long time.