Since June 16, when Shohei Ohtani made his much-anticipated return to the mound, Dodger Stadium has been bursting at the seams. The atmosphere was electric, and the hype was undeniable. But beneath the roar of the crowd, a different noise is growing louder: concern. The Dodgers may be rolling the dice with their most prized asset, subjecting him to a workload that could prove costly.
“In 2023, Ohtani had the best repertoire of any pitcher in the game. But if Ohtani gets hurt and makes it 15 pitchers on the IL for the Dodgers, the season is over. For me, the risk-reward is not there.”
Just months ago, Alex Rodriguez bluntly cautioned against the move. He pointed to Ohtani’s 2x Tommy John surgeries in the past five years as a flashing red light. Well, his warning wasn’t baseless; it was the voice of experience, wary of history repeating itself. And now, as the innings pile up, those fears are no longer whispers of what if. Hard numbers now reinforce them, and the data tells a story that the Dodgers can’t afford to ignore.
The latest episode of MLB Now, featuring Brian Kenny and Bob Costas, offered great statistical insights about how Ohtani’s hitting numbers have declined since he hit the mound.
“From the moment he started pitching. Let’s run those numbers. We got here. It is from the moment he started pitching. He’s hit 239, 361 on base, and a 546 slugging. That’s with the updated numbers. So his hitting takes a big hit… Is it worth the trade-off? And you’re also risking injury where you could lose the entire guy,” Kenny presented a few alarming figures to support his concern for Ohtani.
Well, the numbers pretty much speak for themselves. Reportedly, before June 16, Ohtani was hitting .297, but since making his pitching debut, that’s dropped to .239. His on-base percentage has slipped from .393 to .361, and his slugging percentage has gone from .642 to .546. So, that’s a noticeable dip across the board.
And now, here’s the big question: Is it really worth it for the Dodgers? Sure, in the last game, Ohtani struck out eight batters and hit a home run. But that’s not something you can expect every night. And this comes at a time when the Dodgers’ offense is really struggling.
For the unversed, since June 26, they’ve had a team batting average of just .221. That’s one of the worst in the league. Moreover, the power’s vanished too, with a team slugging percentage of only .371. And they’ve scored just 119 runs over that stretch. That’s near the bottom of the majors.
And apart from all this, there’s an injury scare. With such a workload for managing both sides of the ball, the Dodgers might just be risking their best prized possession. And yes, Shohei Ohtani is too good to be lost by injury for the Dodgers.
Shohei Ohtani himself seems unabated by the noise
Remember when Ohtani first chose the Angels for his MLB debut? Notably, he had offers from several top-tier teams. But he went with the Angels because he believed they’d give him the best chance to grow as a two-way player. In his official 2017 statement, he said he felt a strong connection with the team and trusted they could help him reach his goals in the big leagues.
Moreover, Ohtani has always made it clear how much he values his two-way s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s. Reportedly, back in Japan, being both a pitcher and a hitter was just normal for him. In fact, he stayed there longer to sharpen both sides of his game after scouts initially focused only on his pitching. Also, his commitment to the two-way path is so strong that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts once said, “You can’t take the competitor out of the player.”
Hence, at the end of the day, this is what Ohtani’s all about, pushing the legacy of two-way baseball to the next level. “I really just have to increase volume, but aside from that, I feel pretty good with what I have,” Ohtani said about his pitching future.
But it comes at a cost! And the Dodgers are definitely going to be careful with Shohei Ohtani, especially given how many pitching injuries they’ve had to deal with in recent years. In this case, it’s smarter to be cautious than to risk losing such a valuable asset.
And honestly, as long as Ohtani is contributing on both sides of the ball, a slight dip in his hitting numbers probably isn’t going to make or break the Dodgers.
