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.

Health Concerns

Shohei Ohtani was arguably the most sought after foreign MLB import since Ichiro Suzuki. Ohtani presents the uncanny baseball athlete that boasts a different type of five-tool set. He can run, he can hit, and he can hit for power — but his arm is on the mound.

From the day Ohtani stepped onto an MLB mound, he has flashed triple digit heat to go along with a variety of other plus pitches. However, the stress placed on his arm and focus on things outside of solely pitching can often contribute to arm injury. While this might not be the case with Ohtani in particular, there is still a conversation worth having.

Keeping the Halos’ prized gem of Japan is integral to their future. The Angels’ future is the three headed monster of Mike Trout, Anthony Rendon, and Ohtani in the middle of the order. If Ohtani gets hurt on one end of his play, he is lost for both. You simply cannot rely on a player that in some ways, carries added risk.

While the Angels have done an admiral job with adjusting to Ohtani and allowing him to be on the schedule he desires to keep his body fresh, it has hurt the team in more ways than one. His absence at times is notable and his injuries have affected the Halos. This isn’t Ohtani’s fault in the slightest as in all actuality, he is something of an MLB experiment. Whether or not it has failed has yet to be seen given Ohtani’s age and overall lack of experience on both sides of the ball at the MLB level.

Triple Digit Heat

On the mound, Shohei Ohtani is one imposing presence. He boasts the triple-digit fastball that not many starting pitchers have these days still. While bullpen arms who throw in the upper 90s and beyond are seemingly growing on trees, starters who do it are not in heavy supply. While this could be an argument in favor of keeping the unique Ohtani in the starting rotation long-term (or at least attempting to keep him there), it can also be an argument for turning him into one of the game’s best closers.

The Angels need bullpen help and starting rotation help and while they have the liberty of choosing what they want to do with Shohei Ohtani, closing might be the best option for him for the reasons being described.

Back in 2018, Ohtani was very good at limiting the long ball and limiting hard contact. This is a key thing for a closer in the MLB to do and he could find great success in the back end of a major league bullpen. Ohtani had obvious issues in his brief return to the big leagues as a starting pitcher in 2020 and hopefully it doesn’t point to signs of things to come out of the starting rotation. The Angels need him on his A-game in whatever capacity they get him in. That all starts with health.