LA Angels Top Moments of the Decade #4: Shohei Ohtani Chooses Anaheim

As we’ve counted down this LA Angels list, there have been some moments that felt great in the moment, but are looked back on with disdain (Josh Hamilton).

However, the LA Angels and their fans certainly don’t wish Shohei Ohtani had hand chosen a different MLB club. While his time with the Halos hasn’t been perfect, he’s still has huge support amongst the Angels and their fanbase. While the Tommy John surgery last year certainly sucked to see, Ohtani is now cleared and ready to dominate in 2020.

Throughout Mike Trout‘s career, he has never truly had an elite hitter surrounding him. He has also never had the comfort of a dominant pitching staff, much less an ace. Shohei Ohtani came into Anaheim as a 22-year old and gave him both of those every second that he was healthy. It’s hard to imagine his rookie season going better than it did, health aside.

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But, let’s get back to that moment. Shohei Ohtani was someone who I personally had watched and written about a year prior to his landing in SoCal. The moment my timeline on Twitter filled with his announcement, I dropped my phone. I called my family to let them know, sent countless text to friends, talked trash to everyone I could. I had an embarrassing amount of confidence in him, and the Angels’ 2018 playoff hopes. While one of those was false hope, my belief in Ohtani has never wavered.

The press conference between the hats at The Big A was the first time in years the Angels and their fans had a moment like that. After a decade filled with free agent busts, the Angels landed the free agent to have. Under the posting rules, Ohtani would be considered a prospect, and has cost the Angels a minimal amount thus far into his career. The press conference was electric, a word we’d be using about Shohei Ohtani for years to come.

We all know how Shohei Ohtani’s career has gone thus far. Tommy John surgery derailed his 2019 season on the mound, but he’ll return to his two-way wonders in 2020, and the moment he takes the mound for the first time will be…electric.

And when it comes to ten years from now, when someone at Halo Hangout is counting down the top ten moments of the 2020’s, you can bet Ohtani will have a moment or two on that list.