The LA Angels Shohei Ohtani Experiment Has Been Bumpy

When the LA Angels signed Japanese 2-way star Shohei Ohtani they were the talk of baseball.  Ohtani was billed as the Japanese-Babe Ruth who was the most famous American-born 2-way star in MLB history.

So far this Spring LA Angels Shohei Ohtani has shown flashes of brilliance both on the mound and at the plate, but as a whole he has not done as much as many fans have hoped. However, to those pundits I will say, give him time.  Ohtani is still young at age 23 and with that being said he is bound to struggle some especially early on.  Not only is he adjusting to a new league, but a new country and culture as well.

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Almost any 23-year old kid would struggle in a similar situation, so Ohtani not tearing it up on the mound or at the plate is not that big of deal.  The Angeles thankfully are not showing signs of panicking at this point and they shouldn’t. You have heard the phrase ‘Trust the Process’ and the Angels are doing just that in regards to Ohtani as well they should.

So far Ohtani has only pitched once in a regular Cactus League Exhibition game lasting 1.1 innings giving up one run on two hits with two walks and two strikeouts.  He has also pitched in a “B” league game where he struck out eight of 12 batters he faced.  Last week he pitched against the Tijuana Toros, a Mexican League team and was roughed up for six runs in 3 innings of work.  Ohtani did strike out six batters, but it was still a disappointing outing.

At the plate Ohtani has struggled as well hitting only .143 so far this Spring going 3 for 21.  Needless to say when have those kind of numbers there are bound to be some skeptics.  Hopefully Ohtani will start producing as he gets more comfortable.  When that happens the skeptics will be silenced and Ohtani can go on to have a strong rookie year.

Until then remember these two popular sayings: Patience is a virtue, and anything worth having is worth waiting for.