Los Angeles Angels: 3 reasons why Shohei Ohtani should become a closer

Shohei Ohtani is one of the game’s dyanmic players as a two-way guy, but could he be a two-way guy in a different way?

Yes, this is a very unconventional idea. However, I believe it to be one that can work for a multitude of reasons. Shohei Ohtani has not exactly been an ‘Iron Man’ type of player so far in his Major League Baseball career, dealing with a plethora of injuries. Obviously, this stunts his MLB growth and prevents him from making as great of an impact on the Angels as he is thoroughly capable of.

Ohtani is an excellent baseball player (obviously) and while there are arguments out there that claim he should become a full-time hitter and ditch pitching altogether, I believe this is the wrong way to approach it. He has far too much potential to pick one side or the other. Still, starting has not worked out for Ohtani in the current stages of his career and it isn’t off-base to look at the alternatives.

Shohei Ohtani has the pure pitching makeup of an MLB closer. While he can still easily be an excellent starting pitcher in this league, this could be a safer alternative that works better for the Angels and Ohtani himself.

Mixed in with the health concerns on the mound, Ohtani has been downright excellent as an MLB player offensively. His bat is missing from the lineup more than it should be due to the Angels’ current six-man rotation to get him his starts and necessary rest. The Angels need his bat against right-handed pitching. He’s a dynamic, game-changing type of hitter and can also affect the game with his base running.

Let’s run down the four reasons why Shohei Ohtani being an MLB closer and MLB hitter could turn out to be a better alternative than him being a starter and hitter.