Most of the off-season baseball talk has revolved around Japanese pitching and hitting sensation Shohei Ohtani. Today, Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
If Ohtani is as good as everyone says he is then he could revolutionize the game and we could see a wave of players who are both pitchers or position players.
But the Angels are asking a lot of Ohtani. They essentially want him to be a Masahiro Tanaka and a Hideki Matsui all rolled into one. It's difficult enough to be one never mind both. There's a very good chance that Ohtani might not be able to do either.
Let us also remember that Ohtani was injured most of last year with a broken ankle. On the other hand, the Angels are only risking $3.5 million. It's not like they had to pay a posting fee of over $100 million.
There are those on Twitter who are saying the Seattle Mariners lost out big. But honestly I am far more excited about the Mariners acquiring Dee Gordon than the Angels signing Ohtani. We know that Gordon can collect 200 hits and steal 60 bases. Even if he turns out to be a below average center fielder, the Mariners can find a spot for him in the lineup. Ohtani is a virtually unproven quantity.
Don't get me wrong. If Ohtani can win 15 games and hit 30 home runs then we will have something special. But I have my doubts.
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