According to the the 2024 National League Most Valuable Player award, Shohei Ohtani was the most valuable player in the National League in 2024. He achieved this status on a new team, his World Series-winning Dodgers, as a mere designated hitter who nevertheless put up a 9.2 bWAR through 54 home runs, 59 stolen bases, a .390 OBP and a 1.036 OPS. He's one of the most amazing position players any of us have ever seen, but get this: He pitches, too!
That's right. It was easy to ignore with all that he gave the Dodgers last season, but LA was only receiving half of the Ohtani package in 2024. Due to an elbow injury, Ohtani hasn't taken the mound for an MLB game in nearly 18 months, but from 2021 to 2023 he was an ace-caliber hurler for the Angels, peaking in that middle campaign with a 1.012 WHIP and a 172 ERA+ off an AL-leading 11.9 strikeouts per nine. Here are a few highlights to jog your memory:
And one more—the 2023 taste of what it would be like to have Ohtani on a championship (or at least playoff-worthy) team.
As one or the other, Ohtani would be a lot of people's favorite player. But his transcendent international magnetism comes from how he's excelled on both sides of the game's eternal duel in a way that fans assumed impossible for a modern player. When he melds the two together—like when I saw him in 2021 in Detroit, pitching eight innings and going yard in a game I will never ever shut up about—it melts any cynicism I have about baseball, turning him into a larger-than-life hero who's made a habit of mythical feats.
That's why I'm so inspired by this little clip of Ohtani throwing a bullpen session. It's not his first since the injury, but it opens spring training in a season where he's somehow expected to contribute significantly more than he did in his MVP year for the Dodgers. Look at him pitch in blue and white!
There he is!
Even for the most experienced scout, there's not much to glean from a baker's-dozen-plus-one of 92-94 mph fastballs in a no-stakes environment. But it's a step forward on the long journey to Ohtani pitching a playoff game in Dodger Stadium.
"The ball was coming out really good," his manager Dave Roberts said. "I think he seemed pretty pleased with it. The command was good, ball was coming out good. Really positive day for Shohei."
We'll take the positive days where we can get 'em.
