Los Angeles Angels: Another amazing feat for Shohei Ohtani
It seems that, whenever Shohei Ohtani sets foot on the diamond, he accomplishes some impressive feat. The Los Angeles Angels star has become the type of player that has not been seen for generations – an impressive power and speed threat in the lineup, and an ace on the mound.
On Wednesday night, Ohtani added another impressive statistic to his 2021 season. He belted his major league leading 40th home of the season, while he has allowed just 39 walks as a pitcher thus far.
Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani continues impressive year
A lot has been said of Ohtani’s offensive prowess. He has taken his game to another level this season, producing a .269/.363/.648 batting line in his 471 plate appearances, hitting 40 homers and 25 doubles while stealing 18 bases.
Ohtani shows his progress. light. More Angels
Ohtani has been equally impressive on the mound. He has posted an 8-1 record with a 2.79 ERA and a 1.060 WHiP in his 100 innings, striking out 120 batters with 39 walks. His production offensively would be enough to put him in the MVP race, but coupled with his performance on the mound, he is the clear frontrunner.
The fact that he now has more homers than walks on the season is all the more impressive considering how the year began. Ohtani struggled with his command at the start of the year, issuing 19 of those walks in his first 18.2 innings. From that point, he has had just three outings where he walked more than two batters.
At this point, there is nothing more that the Angels could ask of Ohtani. He is their staff ace and leadoff hitter, a power bat so feared that he leads the American League in intentional walks. They just need to find some other arms to put around Ohtani in the rotation.
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Shohei Ohtani has hit more homers than he has allowed walks as a pitcher. Considering how his season started, it is an impressive turnaround.