If baseball followers are fortunate, Shohei Ohtani’s greatness in the batter’s field and perhaps even on the pitching mound may very well be on show for at the least one other decade.
But in the minds of many, the 30-year-old is already on the shortlist of the sport’s all-time legends.
The Japanese famous person added to his absurd feats on Thursday, changing into the first participant in Major League Baseball historical past to have 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in a single season. He hit each marks in grand style, together with his first three-homer recreation, his first six-hit recreation and a franchise and career-record 10 RBIs in Miami.
“There’s definitely arguments that could be made that he’s better than Babe Ruth,” Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo mentioned Friday. “Everybody always talks about Babe Ruth and him being one of the greatest baseball players, if not (the greatest) of all-time.
“I think we’re playing with the modern-day Babe Ruth here.”
Ohtani is just in his eighth big-league season after taking part in 5 years in Japan, but it surely’s truthful to surprise if he’s already cemented a plaque in Cooperstown.
He’s the overwhelming favourite to win his third Most Valuable Player award this season, according to BetMGM.
“I feel like his pace, I feel like his potential, it’s looking to be a one of the best (careers) ever,” Astros outfielder Jason Heyward mentioned. “Of course, we all know as players that he has to continue to play and finish out his career, but I feel like he has the potential to do so many more special things and create numbers that, you know, we’ll look back home one day and say we don’t know if anyone will get to those.”
Ohtani might add to his legend in the coming weeks when he makes his postseason debut. His Los Angeles Dodgers certified for October baseball with Thursday’s win and will probably be amongst the favorites to win the World Series. There’s even the slim likelihood he might return to the mound throughout the postseason after elbow surgical procedure throughout the offseason.
“We leave it to other people to decide who the all-time greats are, but it’s undeniable that what we’re watching is incredibly special.” mentioned Josh Rawitch, the president of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. “People are excited about what they’re seeing and that’s very understandable.”
It was about this time final season that Ohtani’s profession hit a significant pace bump. The two-way star was having an outstanding season for the Los Angeles Angels at the plate and on the mound when he suffered a torn ligament in his pitching elbow on Aug. 23. That led to the second main surgical procedure on his pitching elbow.
But the free-spending Dodgers had been undeterred by the damage in free company, snagging Ohtani on a $700 million, 10-year deal that was by far the richest in MLB historical past.
It’s secure to say he’s been value it to this point.
Able to focus solely on hitting, Ohtani has produced arguably his finest offensive season. He’s batting .294 with 51 homers and 120 RBIs whereas stealing 51 bases and solely getting caught 4 occasions.
Some like Angels supervisor Ron Washington and Red Sox pitcher Tanner Houck mentioned they'd reserve judgment on Ohtani’s Cooperstown credentials till his profession is over. But there’s little doubt he’s trending the right method.
“I like to see the full career,” Houck mentioned. “But the milestones that he has so far, and a historical season like right now, he’s definitely the top player in the game right now.”
Said Washington: “Let’s let his career develop and we’ll see where his numbers are. Certainly, if he stays healthy and he’s able to play for the length of how long he wants to play, he will be someone that definitely will be considered for the Hall of Fame.”
Diamondbacks first baseman Christian Walker competes with Ohtani in the NL West and mentioned it’s straightforward to respect a man who works so arduous.
“He seems like he goes about his business the right way,” Walker mentioned. “And in the spotlight that he is, that’s equally impressive, to maintain a level head and continue to execute at the level he’s expected to execute at. Huge market. Huge spotlight. And to come out and be as consistent as he is, it’s impressive.”
Astros pitcher Yusei Kikuchi — who can also be Japanese — mentioned Ohtani has already cemented himself as one of the finest.
“He’s probably about to win his third MVP and he’s been doing things that no other player has done, being a two-way player and accomplishing the 50/50,” Kikuchi mentioned by way of an interpreter. “So it’s hard for me to judge, but I think he probably qualifies for the Hall of Fame.”
For the baseball followers who get pleasure from superior stats, Ohtani is already as much as 42.3 WAR for his profession, according to baseball-reference.com, which isn’t a loopy quantity. Most gamers in the Hall of Fame have at the least 50-60 WAR.
But the uniqueness of Ohtani’s profession — notably his standing as in all probability the finest two-way participant of all time — means he might put down his bat and glove immediately and certain breeze into the Hall.
“It’s hard to say no,” Rangers outfielder Travis Jankowski mentioned. “I know it’s so early. I think he can have average years for the rest of his career, and he’s a Hall of Famer. … He’s probably going to win the MVP, and to win MVP as a DH, that used to be unheard of, so it’s incredible.”
Rawitch mentioned Ohtani has been “unbelievably generous” together with his contributions to the Hall of Fame over the years and has a fantastic understanding of the recreation’s historical past. The Hall’s upcoming main exhibit debuts subsequent summer time and it’s known as “Yakyu/Baseball,” exploring the intertwined baseball historical past of Japan and the U.S.
It’ll concentrate on Japanese greats like Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Matsui and Hideo Nomo, whereas additionally taking a look at American gamers who've performed in Japan.
And, of course, there will probably be lots about Ohtani, one of the best in both nation.
“This guy is transcending the game,” Pittsburgh Pirates supervisor Derek Shelton mentioned. “He’s special. He’s going to go down as one of the best players of all time and he’s not pitching this year. What Shohei has done for the game is remarkable and exciting. We need things like that.”
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AP Baseball Writers Mike Fitzpatrick in New York and Stephen Hawkins in Arlington, Texas, AP Sports Writers Kristie Rieken in Houston and Steve Megargee in Milwaukee, and freelancers Ken Powtak in Boston and Gary Schatz in Cincinnati contributed to this story.
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AP MLB: https://www.apnews.com/hub/MLB
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