Shohei Ohtani Shut Down As A Pitcher Again, Time For Him To Focus On Just Being A Hitter

By Jordan Long

The Los Angeles Angels are last in the American League West Division at 3-7.  They look to improve their record tonight against the Seattle Mariners.  L.A. will not have Shohei Ohtani in the pitching rotation for the rest of the year.  He is out with a forearm strain but is still expected to be the designated hitter.

                Ohtani was supposed to be a dual threat with his ability to pitch and hit at the big league level.  In 2018, Ohtani pitched in 10 games with a record of 4-2 and an ERA of 3.31.  He underwent  Tommy John surgery on September 25th which shut him down the rest of his season.  In 2019 Ohtani didn’t pitch.  This season he was awful on the mound.  Ohtani appeared in 1.2 innings giving up 3 hits and 7 runs.  His ERA was a disappointing 37.80. 

                At the plate Ohtani is a much better player.  In his 3 years at the MLB level, he has proven to be a large bat in the Angels lineup.   He can smack the ball for extra base hits and home runs. In his career, Ohtani’s batting average is .281 with 42 home runs and 130 RBI’s.  He also has 42 doubles and 7 triples.  This season in 27 plate appearances Ohtani’s batting average is .148 with 7 RBI’s and 2 home runs.

                It might be time for the Angels to shut him down as a pitcher for the rest of his career and just focus on hitting.  He hasn’t been able to stay healthy in the rotation but Ohtani can help win games for them at the plate.

According to ESPN.com, Manager Joe Maddon still thinks he can be both a pitcher and a hitter.  “From what I’m seeing, I believe that he can. We just gotta get past the [arm issues] and figure that out specifically. But I’ve seen it. He’s such a high-end arm and specifically what he can do in the batter’s box. Now maybe he’ll get to the point where he may choose to want to do one thing over the other and just express that to us. I know he likes to hit. As of right now, in my mind’s eye, he’s still gonna be able to do this.”

                Ohtani still may want to pitch next year and beyond.  The Angels need to talk to him to tell him the only way he is going to be successful at the major league level is by hitting.  Then again, it could be these injuries are behind him and Ohtani can be a regular pitcher in the rotation who will help them win.  It all depends on the health of his arm.