Shohei Ohtani finishes stellar offseason with another terrific nod from TIME Magazine
LA Angels' two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani received quite a bit of hardware this offseason. He most notably won the Edgar Martinez Most Outstanding Designated Hitter Award and a unanimous AL MVP.
That wasn't it, though, as he also was named many prestigious titles throughout the offseason by various publications, most notably named to have had the greatest season in sports history by Sporting News. Another marvelous honor, however, happened just before Opening Day, where Ohtani was featured on the cover of TIME Magazine:
This isn't the first time Ohtani has been recognized by TIME. He was listed as one of the 100 most influential people in the world back in September by the prestigious publication. TIME always seems to give Ohtani the recognition he deserves. The interview they did with Ohtani was incredible. Watch the entire video below:
Shohei Ohtani has even higher expectations for himself on the LA Angels.
The best part about LA Angels' Ace/DH Shohei Ohtani's interview was when he talked about the expectations for him in the future. He isn't bothered by them because he has even higher expectations for himself. He talked extensively about how he's never satisfied. He cited no other two-way players in the league to compare himself to.
While most would suggest that he's being too modest, it's a terrific mindset for Ohtani to have. It's the type of mindset that got Ohtani to this point, and he has by far the best mentality in the sport. Ohtani just put up the greatest comeback story in sports history, going from Tommy John surgery to having the greatest season in sports history the next year.
He knows what mindset to put forward this year, and it was also great that his goal is simply to be a player people remember. He didn't list stats or awards he wants to hit--he cited that his goal is to be the type of player that everyone remembers. So far, he's certainly on the fast-track to get there. Heck, even TIME Magazine can't go an offseason without him on the cover.