O(htani) My God!

Count me a fan.  As I said in another thread, when he signed with the Angels I had my doubts that he could handle MLB pitching although it seemed a good bet he would be a decent pitcher (in the Yu Darvish mold).

Was I ever wrong.  Watch the highlights from last night's game.  With a 1-2 pitcher count and the bases loaded he easily got his hands out front of a 97 mph inside fastball up in the zone and rifled it into center right field.  His swing was smooth and his weight was perfectly balanced.  His trip from home to third was eye-popping not only for the speed (up there with the best) but for the easy long strides and the excellent line he took between the bags.  He did not look like he was running all that hard, but the stopwatch showed he was.

Simply put, he is making hitting and running seem easy and effortless.  His OPS is 1.183, which puts him in Harper/Gregorius territory (except he does not have enough at bats to qualify as a leader).  

The Angels had planned to have him bat only every few days but at this pace they cannot afford to keep him out of the line up on days he is not pitching.  

Yeah, but how many saves does he have?

DaveSchmidt said:

Yeah, but how many saves does he have?

True, not nearly as many as Keith Kincaid.  I guess Ohtani is a bust, then.

For the record, Babe Ruth had four. Long way to go, Shohei.

I watched highlights from his last start, and I couldn't get over his splitter. I don't see how anyone can hit it when he's on.  Apparently, I'm not the only one thinking that.

Shohei Ohtani's Splitter Is What Makes Him Truly Great

He has an arsenal of pitches and can throw a 98 mph fastball with regularity. He has hit 100 on his four-seamer. I saw replays of that triple. He looks like he's not running fast but suddenly he's heading for third. I wouldn't want him attempting too many steals, though.

Well, that was a lot of nothing for Ohtani last night.  He has a blister on his finger, to quote John Lennon.

The Sox hit him early and hit him hard.  His pitches were flat and he had little control.  I gotta think the blister thing is real.  

mfpark said:
Well, that was a lot of nothing for Ohtani last night.  He has a blister on his finger, to quote John Lennon.

Here’s another clue for you gringos. The blisters were Ringo’s.

DaveSchmidt said:

The blisters were Ringo’s.

 poor guy had been playing that take for about a half hour. blisters indeed.

ml1 said:

DaveSchmidt said:

The blisters were Ringo’s.

 poor guy had been playing that take for about a half hour. blisters indeed.

 These are the important factoids that will die with our generation.

mfpark said:

ml1 said:

DaveSchmidt said:

The blisters were Ringo’s.

 poor guy had been playing that take for about a half hour. blisters indeed.

 These are the important factoids that will die with our generation.

dude, the internet. 

ml1 said:

mfpark said:

ml1 said:

DaveSchmidt said:

The blisters were Ringo’s.

 poor guy had been playing that take for about a half hour. blisters indeed.

 These are the important factoids that will die with our generation.

dude, the internet. 

I had to look it up, after also always thinking it was John.

I probably know a lot more than I should about The Beatles.  I can tell you what John's and Paul's living rooms looked like.

Ohtani getting roughed up on the mound the last two starts.  He had blisters against the Sox, but last night he was pumping it in there (hit 101 MPH twice) but lacked the movement and control he had the first few starts.

11 k's yesterday.  Did you watch the highlights?  He struck guys out on 77 MPH lollipops, 82 MPH curveballs, 88 MPH sinkers, 92 MPS sliders, and 99 MPH fastballs.  And he is only 23 years old.

This guy is scary good.  And I am not even talking about his hitting, which is good enough that he could easily just be a hitter and still be a star.

The five fastest pitches thrown by starters this season:
Ohtani, 101.1, Wednesday vs. Detroit
Ohtani, 101, April 24 vs. Houston
Ohtani, 101, April 24 vs. Houston
Ohtani, 100.7, April 24 vs. Houston
Ohtani, 100.6, April 24 vs. Houston

"Very [impressed]," said Tigers right fielder Nicholas Castellanos, who doubled twice and popped out against Ohtani. "Him being so young and having those weapons, you could tell that he wasn't letting it all eat. He was 91 [mph], 93 in the first inning, and then all of a sudden he got it up to 101 against Candy. And the fact that he has that in his back pocket, you have to respect that as a hitter."

Guess it was too good to last.

https://www.mlb.com/news/angels-gm-disputes-ohtani-surgery-report/c-280772440

sad to hear  --  one of the most exciting players to watch. 

out until 2020......

now they say a few weeks and he should be able to come back and hit.  might be longer for pitching again. but no TJ surgery for now.