Shohei Ohtani is possibly the most exhilarating baseball player at present. His perfection in pitching and batting is what sets him apart. Ohtani’s versatility makes him the ultimate crowd-puller in the sport. On top of everything, he has invented a new skill to attach another feather to his cap.

Shohei Ohtani is a pitcher and a designated hitter for the Los Angeles Angels. When not pitching, he defends as an outfielder for his team. He won the American League ‘Rookie of the Year’ Award in his debut MLB season. Ohtani is a two-time All-Star member. 

John Smoltz is a baseball Hall Of Fame inductee who now works as an analyst and broadcaster. Smoltz was a champion pitcher for the Atlanta Braves. He also went on to play for the Boston Red Sox and the St. Louis Cardinals, respectively. In a recent interview with analyst Ben Verlander, Smoltz highly acclaimed Ohtani’s extraordinary talent. 

Shohei Ohtani: A unique baseball legend in the making 

In baseball terms, Shohei Ohtani is a once-in-a-lifetime talent. In a sport where a player can either bat or pitch, Ohtani has mastered both crafts. He goes by the popular nickname ‘Shotime’ for his unmatched entertaining value. Now he has added another string to his bow by inventing a fastball sinker. 

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Ohtani pitched the sinker 18 times in Saturday’s game against the Houston Astros. The fastest sinker got recorded at 100.6 mph. Even the slowest sinker was at an electrifying speed of 94 mph. In a recent episode on the ‘Flipping Bats’ podcast, John Smoltz joined host Ben Verlander. 

In utmost appreciation of Ohtani, Smoltz said, “He’s so gifted on the mound. And look, it’s a little easier when your team’s out of it to try to invent different things to move forward in your career. But nonetheless, to do it on the spot and in the middle of what he’s doing is off the charts.” 

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Smoltz further said, “I’m a big fan of Ohtani. I make the claim that he is and can be the greatest pitcher in our game. But he’s not just pitching. So that kind of puts him back a little bit. But not so much that you can’t talk about him in the top five category of pitchers in our game.” 

The promising rewards that await Ohtani 

For the time being, nothing is clear about Ohtani’s MLB future. The Angels are already out of any title contention. Ohtani’s term contract with the Angels will expire by the end of this season. Nonetheless, he is a strong contender for the American League MVP Award. Regarding his dual productivity, he indeed is one of the top deserving candidates.

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Do you think Shohei Ohtani will win the American League MVP Award this year?