The Los Angeles Angels Shohei Ohtani takes the Colorado Rockies deep for a two run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning at Angels Stadium in Anaheim on Tue Jul 27, 2021 for his 36th home run (AP News photo)

Othtani – A Man for a Century

That’s Amaury News and Commentary

By Amaury Pi-González

Shohei Ohtani will probably win the Most Valuable Player of the American League. And if there was an MVP for all of baseball he will also win it. Even if his team, the LA Angels do not make it to the playoffs. What he is doing has mesmerized baseball fans and the media all over the country and baseball world.

Recently while playing at Target Field, he hit his 35th home run and during his next turn at bat he was walked intentionally, the people at Minneapolis Target Field who root for their home team, the Twins, were booing their Manager’s decision Rocco Baldelli on the intentional walk.” Joe Maddon the Angels manager said after the game “I was booing, too”.

Everyplace the Angels play, Shohei aka Shotime is what the fans want to see. A two-way player, something that nobody has seen since Babe Ruth. Joe Maddon, his manager with the LA Angels “He should be the Most Valuable Player, it’s not even close”. Tuesday night at Angel Stadium in Anaheim he hit his No. 36 a majestic blast to the right center-field seats, as a pitcher Shotime has struck out over 100 hitters this year.

Toronto Blue Jays Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is having his best season of his young career, and MVP-type season, but unlike Shohei Ohtani he doesn’t pitch and that is the main difference why Ohtani will win the MVP this season and not Guerrero Jr. Many scouts believe Ohtani has the stuff to be a No.1 starter, others say “at least a No.2 at this time”. What makes him such a good pitcher?

He throws a four-seam fastball that clocks sometimes over 100 miles per hours, also a very effective splitter plus a slider as his best three pitches, but he also shows a cutter once in a while to keep hitters honest. His splitter in 2018 was his killer pitch when hitters went two for 55 against it, while striking out 35, is back this season. Ohtani splitter is the most unhittable pitch in the game.

As a hitter the Japanese phenom is leading all of baseball in home runs with 36. He is the fastest American League hitter to hit 35 or more home runs in a season during his team first 98 games, since Chris Davis in 2013. Leads the league in extra-base hits also in slugging, and home runs per at bats, he hits a home run every 9.5 at bats.

Plus he is among the top hitters is most other categories. Oh yes, he is good stealing bases. Ohtani got a paycheck of $150,000 for taking part of the Home Run Derby during the All Star Game. He distributed all the money to around 30 staffers, including trainers, clubhouse workers and media relations employees with the LA Angels, a source told the OC Register.

If you are wondering if any player has won an MVP on a losing team? You do not have to go too far, Ohtani’s teammate Mike Trout, considered the best player in the game, and who should be back soon in the lineup, has won three AL MVP Awards and in two of those, 2016 and 2019 the Angels had losing records. We are in the middle of the Olympics and the word Athlete is the main word when it comes to the Olympic Games.

Shohei Ohtani is an Athlete that can do just about anything on a baseball field. He is a six-tool player. Some quotes about Ohtani: Shohei Ohtani’s manager, Joe Maddon: “I would really refrain from advising him on a whole lot of stuff. He knows what he wants to do and he knows how he wants to do it. He’s got that kind of a baseball mind, so you really want to stay out of there.”

Mike Scioscia was Ohtani’s first manager in the major leagues. In 2018 Scioscia said towards the end of the season about Ohtani “He should be the Rookie of the Year”. Alex Cora, Boston Red Sox Manager said on Twitter: About Ohtani for MVP, ‘We should make a new award for him.

This is something MLB hasn’t seen since Babe Ruth. … He’s not the best hitter. He’s not the best pitcher. But he’s the best player”. Washington National’s Max Scherzer started for the National League the 2021 All Star Game at Coors Field in Denver, opposite Shohei Ohtani who started for the American League.

Future Hall of Famer Scherzer said: “It would be awesome if I could hit. Right now, I’m 0-for-the-first-half.” Vladimir Guerrero Jr: “Ohtani deserves the American League MVP Award, nothing that I am doing right now, tops his pitching and hitting ability.”

Finally: Could it possibly be a tie for MVP between Guerrero Jr. and Ohtani? Not likely and for obvious reasons, the novelty and the success of something we have not seen for a century. Shohei Ohtani is the Most Valuable Player. Only tie for MVP: 1979 in the National League, Keith Hernández (Cardinals) and Willie Stargell (Pirates) received an equal number of points.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the lead play by play announcer for the Oakland A’s Spanish flagship station 1010 KIQI LeGrande San Francisco and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com