One of the most talked about names in Major League Baseball heading into this season was Shohei Ohtani (30, Los Angeles Dodgers). After becoming an unrestricted free agent at the end of last season, Ohtani made sports history when he signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Even with deferred payments, it was the largest single contract in world sports.
The fact that Ohtani joined the Los Angeles Dodgers was a sensation in itself. With Ohtani, the Dodgers now have four former MVPs in Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Clayton Kershaw. Add to that the revelation that Ohtani’s interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, was involved in illegal gambling, and Ohtani is still in the spotlight.
However, Ohtani hasn’t had the best start to the season. After the psychological trauma of gambling on interpreters, Ohtani has yet to report a home run in his first seven games of the season. His batting average isn’t bad at .267, but his OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage) is only .670 because long balls aren’t coming easily. Ohtani’s OPS last year was 1.066 and his career OPS is 0.919.
But he’s already made Dodger history. It showed that his power is still there. Ohtani led off the sixth inning of an 0-4 game against St. Louis at Dodger Stadium on Sunday, trailing 4-0. He hit a bullet-like double off St. Louis left-hander Steven Matz into the right-field corner. Ohtani’s double set the stage for a two-run rally, and the Dodgers eventually scored three more runs in the eighth to take a 5-4 lead.
The pitch had a bat speed of 115.8 mph (186.4 km/h). The previous fastest hit by a Dodger since Statcast was introduced in 2015 was 116 mph (186.7 km/h) by Yasiel Puig on April 5, 2017, which was the second-fastest hit in Dodger franchise history, but Puig was thrown out at the plate, making Ohtani the fastest hit in Dodger history to become a hit. It came just six games after joining the Dodgers.
It”s a sign that Ohtani”s power and contact are still there, so we can expect more explosions in the future. However, despite the $700 million price tag and the hype, the analysis suggests that Ohtani is not yet a Dodger. That’s because there are other players on the roster who are even better than Ohtani. That player is former MVP 토토 Mookie Betts (32). It’s clear that it’s Betts, not Ohtani, who is carrying the Dodgers through the early part of the season.
Betts, who has been in peak hitting form since the World Series, has a monster .520 batting average, .636 slugging percentage, 1.200 on-base percentage, four home runs, 10 RBI, 12 runs scored, and an OPS of 1.836 through the first seven games of the season. He’s even drawn a whopping eight walks while striking out twice. Betts, who made the switch to shortstop this season, has been praised for being completely unaffected by the chaos at the position.
Freddie Freeman, batting third in the order, has also been hitting well, with an OPS of 1.020 on the season. Will Smith, who signed a 10-year deal with the Dodgers just before the mainland opener, has an OPS of 1.119, and Teoscar Hernandez, who signed a one-year deal with the Dodgers before the season, has an OPS of 1.050, showing an even offense that doesn’t rely on any one player. In fact, Ohtani’s OPS is below the team average. With Ohtani back in the lineup, the Dodgers will be looking for even more offense.