MLB phenom Shohei Ohtani’s 2024 started on a solid note.
Fresh off signing a record-breaking 10-year, $700 million deal with the World Series favorite Los Angeles Dodgers, it seemed like everything was all sunshine and rainbows for the modern-day Babe Ruth.
However, Ohtani quickly faced turbulence at the very start of the season when it was revealed that his trusted interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, was wrapped up in an ugly gambling scandal.
Despite suspicion from the outside, Ohtani has been cleared of any wrongdoing and was allegedly an innocent victim in the whole situation.
Besides making a brief statement on the matter, Ohtani has largely avoided speaking about the scandal.
However, he did give a revealing update while speaking to reporters yesterday at Citi Field in Queens.
“The thing that affected me the most was just being able to sleep well. Now that I’ve been able to do that, I also came to realize that how I feel off the field mentality shouldn’t affect my abilities. I have confidence in my own ability that I could be able to still play without being affected by anything that happens off the field,” Ohtani said through his (new) interpreter.
Acknowledging the pain and difficulty he faced, Ohtani admitted to struggling with sleep during the height of the controversy.
However, he revealed that he was able to get past the mental hurdle and return his focus to baseball.
Ohtani’s performance on the field has been nothing short of spectacular.
Despite all of the drama surrounding him, the 29-year-old has been playing at an MVP-level, leading the league in batting average (.336) while posting 13 home runs, 35 RBI’s and a whopping 1.024 OPS (2nd best in baseball).
What makes Ohtani so special is his two-way ability.
However, he’s expected to primarily DH this season while he recovers from offseason Tommy John surgery.
We’ll see if he’s able to regain his dominant pitching form in the future, but it would be foolish to bet against him.
Led by Ohtani, the Dodgers are currently in first place in the NL West with a 33-22 record.
Los Angeles has a 5-game lead over both the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres.
Arguably the best team on paper, Ohtani and the Dodgers know the true success of the season will be decided in October.
What are your thoughts on the whole Mizuhara scandal?
As far as the Dodgers, do you look at them as World Series favorites? … Or do you think they’ll run into trouble if they face a team like the Phillies, Braves or Yankees come October?
Where do you rank Ohtani among the top players in baseball? … Is he indeed the game’s best???