Keeping Shohei Ohtani healthy is going to be a challenge

The Baseball world is still buzzing over the Angels landing Shohei Ohtani. The shock value of this rivals that of Alex Rodriquez leaving the Texas Rangers for the New York Yankees.

On Friday, Twitter erupted with the news of Shohei Ohtani deciding to sign with the Los Angeles Angels. Instantly my phone was also blowing up with my Halo Hangout brothers expressing joy, optimism, and overall excitement for the upcoming season.

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The Los Angeles Angels already have one of the best hitters in the game in Mike Trout. As a result, the addition of Ohtani should propel this team to a playoff berth at the very least. However, its way too early to make that kind of bold prediction. One thing is for certain, the Angels must get and remain healthy on the mound.

This, of course, is my only concern for Ohtani this season. Can the Los Angeles Angels pitching staff keep him healthy? We all know that over the last three seasons, the Los Angeles Angels have had significant injuries. Injuries that cause C.J. Wilson to retire, Garrett Richards to miss almost two full seasons, and a handful of other important pitchers on the DL.

Now, there has been some discussion about the possibility of the Angels having a six-man starting rotation. This would be more to how they play in Japan, thus, somewhat saving Ohtani’s arm.

I personally think this is a fantastic idea. Not just for Ohtani either. This would benefit the entire Angels starting rotation who all have seen injuries either last season or the season before. Many fans will argue that addressing the everlasting second base issue is the number one priority for the Winter Meetings.

However, if the Angels are going to have any level of success next season, they must keep the pitching staff healthy. If Ohtani goes to the DL and is in need of Tommy John surgery, the public outcry for the heads of the coaching staff should rival that of Donald Trump’s victory. I have been increasing in discontent with the coaching staff and their ability to keep players healthy. Now that they have another gem of a player in their hands, they cannot allow him to get hurt.

Next: Halos Should Use a Six Man Rotation

Without a doubt, this is going to be a big season for the Los Angeles Angels. They have a chance to turn around their unfortunate luck this season. They must have a plan enabled that can preserve the health of not only Ohtani but the rest of their pitching staff as well.