Shohei Ohtani reached a major milestone on Friday night and followed up with more good news on Saturday.
Ohtani is currently recovering from his second Tommy John surgery, which he underwent last September. On Saturday, he stepped onto a mound and threw pitches for the first time since his surgery.
Shohei Ohtani last night, 40/40.
Today I’m throwing from a hill for the first time since my elbow surgery 👀 pic.twitter.com/jjQtSCqZkF
— MLB (@MLB) 25 August 2024
That’s great news for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who signed Ohtani to a 10-year, $700 million contract over the winter. They certainly didn’t pay him that much to be their designated hitter for the next decade. They want the two-way player who turned baseball on its head as a member of the Los Angeles Angels.
While Ohtani has every right to be the best hitter in Major League Baseball and undoubtedly has the right to claim the title of best player in the league, he is far more valuable when he can also throw.
In 86 career starts, Ohtani is 38-19 with a 3.01 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 608 strikeouts with 173 walks in 481 2/3 innings. His best season was 2022, when he went 15-9 with a 2.33 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 219 strikeouts in 166 innings. If he can be anywhere near that guy again while hitting the ball the way he does, his $700 million contract could seem like a bargain.
As it stands, Ohtani is the clear favorite for the National League MVP award. He currently has a batting average of .292/.378/.614, an OPS of .992, 40 home runs, 40 stolen bases, and 92 RBIs.
When he starts pitching again, those numbers will look even more ridiculous.
