Ohtani Shohei (29‧LA Angels) is a more historic player by realizing the combination of pitching and hitting, which was considered impossible in modern baseball. This is why Ohtani cannot be simply judged sexually. He is a player who changed the paradigm of the major leagues and baseball itself.메이저사이트
In fact, no one thought that this would be possible in the major leagues, where the world’s top players gather. It’s hard to be the best in one field because it didn’t make sense for both pitcher and hitter to succeed. There are cases like Babe Ruth, but that was a story from 100 years ago. Before Ohtani appeared, we were unknowingly limiting our possibilities. However, after Ohtani’s big success, everything started to change.
There were ups and downs right after his break into the major leagues. There were not a few ups and downs in hitting and pitching. In particular, the pitcher side also overlapped with injuries. In 2018, shortly after his breakthrough to the major leagues, he tore ligaments in his elbow. Because he underwent ligament reconstructive surgery (Tommy John surgery), he was unable to stand on the mound for a single game in 2019 and focused only on hitting. The aftermath continued into 2020. However, after recovering from his elbow injury, starting in 2021, he shocked the major leagues by starting a full-fledged two-hit game.
We are already familiar with Ohtani’s achievements since being named the 2021 American League Unanimous MVP. However, from then on, his skeptical gaze followed him steadily. It was a question, “Will my body be able to withstand it?” I admit that Ohtani is a historic player, but opinions differed as to how long it would be possible to combine both pitching and hitting. Even in Japan, the saying “You have to focus on one thing” came out mainly from the elders.
The muscles used by pitchers and hitters are quite different. There is a training that pitchers focus on and training that fielders focus on. Hitters, for example, don’t get as much training on their shoulders and elbows as pitchers do. Ohtani had to do both. He couldn’t ignore the fatigue either. Ohtani started as a starter about once every 5th or 6th and even started the batter. And from the next day, he went straight to batting. It was a killer schedule. This is the fundamental reason why all my colleagues stuck out their tongues.
This year’s schedule was even more concerning. This is because he competed in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) held before the season. Ohtani, who wore the Japanese flag on his uniform, had no clue. He played an active part in both sides without hesitation in both pitching and hitting for the victory of his country. Right away, Ohtani was on the mound the moment Japan won the tournament. However, there were concerns that it would not be easy physically because of the difficult pitching and hitting schedule before the season.
So far, no problems whatsoever. As of the 24th (Korean time), as a hitter, he played 126 games and achieved a batting average of 0.304, 44 homers, 91 RBIs, and an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 1.069. He also pitched 132 innings in 23 games as a pitcher, going 10-5 with an earned run average of 3.14. 167 strikeouts were a bonus. However, on the 24th, abnormal symptoms were discovered in Ohtani’s elbow. He also had problems with his elbow ligaments.
On the 24th, Ohtani started in the first double header game against Cincinnati at the Angels Stadium in Anaheim, California. He started the game in a good mood by hitting a home run in the first inning. However, he felt something wrong with his arm during the second inning and was pulled out early. Ohtani sent an autograph to the bench first. After checking his physical condition, the replacement was decided. On this day, there was a feeling that Ohtani’s four-seam fastball speed was not particularly high, but it was also something wrong with his body.
Initially, it was known as a simple ‘arm fatigue’ symptom, but as a result of the examination, damage to the elbow ligament was found. It has not been decided whether he will undergo elbow surgery, but Ohtani will not pitch as a pitcher for the rest of the year accordingly. It’s a lightning bolt for the Angels, who had a glimmer of hope for the postseason. Batter 4 remains, but the ace is gone.
It is expected that there will be no major problems with Ohtani’s MVP award front. This is because there is already something accumulated so far, and it is expected that he will continue to play as a hitter. The problem is the free agent (FA) qualification to be obtained after this season. Ohtani is the hot topic this offseason. Because he excelled in both pitching and hitting, expectations were raised that he would be the first major league player to sign a contract worth more than $500 million in total, and even more than $600 million.
ESPN recently organized Ohtani’s ransom in a slightly more systematic way. According to ESPN, considering his performance over the past three years, Ohtani was worth $37.6 million as a pitcher and $38.4 million as a hitter, according to ESPN. That’s $76 million a year. If you simply convert that to 12 years, you get a crazy number of $912 million. However, ESPN considered the loss to be about 120 million dollars considering aging, so the estimated amount was set at 789.7 million dollars based on 12 years. That’s an average of $65.8 million per year.
If it is assumed that Ohtani will not be able to pitch, Ohtani’s average annual value will evaporate by 32.57 million dollars, bringing it to about 33.23 million dollars. The total amount for 12 years is about 400 million dollars. In other words, if Ohtani only bats, that’s about $390 million worth of damage. In fact, Ohtani is a player who can challenge for MVP even as a hitter, but it is clear that his symbolism and value are significantly reduced unless he is a pitcher and hitter.
Surgery has not yet been decided. It’s a problem if you have surgery, but it’s a problem if you don’t. If he does not undergo surgery, Ohtani’s appearance is, in fact, a ticking time bomb. Many clubs will be reluctant. If he gets the surgery, it will be his personal second elbow surgery. This too is too risky. In any case, Ohtani’s ‘previous’ FA front line was in an emergency.