Ohtani ready to 'rock and roll' as dual threat
Rhett Bollinger
@RhettBollingerANAHEIM -- As Angels manager Joe Maddon put it, two-way star Shohei Ohtani is ready to ¡°rock and roll,¡± as he¡¯s healthy and cleared to pitch and serve as designated hitter this season.
Ohtani, who is coming off Tommy John and left knee surgeries, would¡¯ve had to wait until mid-May to return to the mound, but with the season pushed back roughly four months because of the coronavirus pandemic, Ohtani is fully healthy. It marks a return to two-way status for Ohtani, who was the American League Rookie of the Year Award winner in 2018 but was limited to serving as DH in ¡¯19.
¡°It¡¯s been normal for me to do hitting and pitching my whole professional career,¡± Ohtani said through interpreter Ippei Mizuhara. ¡°Last year was a weird season for me, actually. I feel like I¡¯m going to my normal routine this year. So in that sense I feel very comfortable. This season is a short season, so it¡¯s more like a sprint than a marathon. I¡¯m going to try to go 100 percent out of the gate and start and finish strong.¡±
Ohtani has been training and working out at Angel Stadium since Spring Training was shut down in mid-March, as he was given an exemption to work out at the park because he was rehabbing his elbow injury. He threw a bullpen session on Friday and is nearing live bullpen sessions against hitters in the coming days. He believes facing hitters is the next big step for him, but he¡¯s well-prepared for it.
¡°Physically, I was being prepared for the season to start at any time,¡± Ohtani said. ¡°I was able to get good workouts in the last couple months. Mentally, I treated it like an offseason. I felt like it was unnecessary to get locked in without a date. But now that we have a date, I¡¯m getting locked in and strong mentally.¡±
As a rookie in 2018, Ohtani hit .285/.361/.564 with 22 homers, 21 doubles and 61 RBIs in 104 games as a DH, while also posting a 3.31 ERA with 63 strikeouts in 51 2/3 innings over 10 starts as a pitcher. Last year, as a DH, he batted .286/.343/.505 with 18 homers, 20 doubles and 62 RBIs in 106 games.
Ohtani will be on a similar schedule to his rookie season when he started once per week and served as designated hitter four to five times a week. With a 60-game season, it would allow Ohtani to make roughly eight to 10 starts on the mound and about 30 to 35 appearances as DH. Through 60 team games as a rookie, Ohtani hit .283/.367/.531 with six homers and 20 RBIs in 33 games, while making eight starts with a 3.18 ERA.
Ohtani¡¯s two-way talent certainly intrigues Maddon, especially considering the 25-year-old has matured physically since his rookie season and appears primed for a breakout year.
¡°He¡¯s very internal,¡± Maddon said. ¡°He¡¯s analytical. He smiles easily. He is just a good soul. He is so dedicated to his craft. He wants to be great. That¡¯s the takeaway I get from him. He¡¯s motivated.¡±
Ohtani, though, will also have different mechanics this year, as he said he¡¯s simplified his pitching delivery and is likely to ditch the leg kick that he worked on this offseason. Ohtani said it¡¯ll be based on feel but ultimately doesn¡¯t matter whether he uses a leg kick.
¡°Lifting or not lifting my leg is not a big deal for me,¡± Ohtani said. ¡°It¡¯s actually how my body reacts once my foot lands. So as long as I have the timing, the lifting the leg or not is not a big issue.¡±