Shohei Ohtani is amazing.
For years, I refused to see the light. I didn’t care that he hit and he pitched. I thought that his value was diminished because he didn’t play in the field four out of every five games. Wrongly, I believed he should be docked points, or value, or acclaim, because he didn’t play, say, left field every single game as opposed to taking the mound once or twice per week.
But now I’m ready to admit it: Shohei Ohtani is the best baseball player of my lifetime.
Regardless of seeing the light, it still pains me to say that. I’ve never rooted for a team for which Ohtani’s played. Currently, I’m hoping for the Blue Jays to take down his Dodgers in the World Series. I’ve never liked the Dodgers, and I’ve certainly never cared for the Angels. The Angels are one of those few teams I rarely think about, and they’ve been like that for years, even when they featured three of the most prominent baseball players of the era: Ohtani, Mike Trout, and Albert Pujols.
To have played years for a team toward whom I’m apathetic, and years more for a team I despise, and yet to be considered the top player of my lifetime? My man, you are incredible.
Ohtani should win his third straight MVP this season—the first one in the American League in his last year with the Angels, last year and this with the Dodgers. During those years, he’s slashed .298/.397/.640. Ho hum, that’s just an OPS 84% above league average. He’s hit 153 home runs while scoring 382 runs and driving in another 327. He’s added an additional 113 extra-base hits.
On the mound, he’s twice come back from huge injuries to pitch well. He didn’t pitch at all in 2019 and then only twice in 2020. Then, in 2021, he goes 9-2 over 21 starts with a 141 ERA+ with a 3.52 FIP—while winning his first MVP award as he hit 46 homers, drove in 100, and scored 103 runs as he posted a .257/.372/.592 slash line.
In 2022, while finishing second in MVP voting, he finishes fourth in the Cy Young. That’s unheard of! Not even Babe Ruth did that. No one’s done that! These are baseball heights heretofore unseen.
Again, he injures his elbow, and while he rehabs to get back on the mound, he crushes it in the batter’s box. He finally returned to pitching again this season, and in 47 innings, goes 1-1 with a 1.90 FIP, 1.043 WHIP, and struck out damn near 12 batters per nine innings.
Yes, I think it’s safe to say that Shohei Ohtani is the best player to take to the diamond in the past 10 years, 20 years, 30 years, 40 years, since the dawn of time, if you wanted to go back that far.
With him starring in the World Series, and his team finding itself on the brink of elimination at the time of this writing on the morning of Halloween, this Royals Review writer wanted to give Ohtani—who also won the NLCS MVP last season, and should win the World Series MVP this year if the Dodgers rally back, and who also reached base in all nine of his plate appearances in Game 3—his flowers.
Here are my top 10 baseball players of my lifetime with Ohtani taking honors. First, a few who just missed, in alphabetical order.
Top 10 Players of My Lifetime
10. Bobby Witt Jr.—Ma’am, this is a Kansas City Royals blogsite.
9. Alex Rodriguez—I’m sure everyone is cool with A-Rod being on this list. Mr. Rodriguez, please fix the Timberwolves. They are not playing well.
8. Roger Clemens—HE SHOULD BE IN THE HALL OF FAME THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER.
7. Ichiro Suzuki—All-time hits leader.
6. Mike Trout—Would probably be No. 1 if not for injuries. 96 homers away from 500. Not sure he’ll reach it.
5. Albert Pujols—Greatest right-handed hitter in the history of baseball. Maple Woods alum.
4. Randy Johnson—Lots of inner dialogue on whether he was the best pitcher I’ve ever seen. Comes up just short. Hell of a photographer.
2. Barry Bonds—Another crowd pleaser, I’m sure.
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