In case you hadn't noticed, Shohei Ohtani still rules

It was expected Shohei Ohtani would be pretty good at this whole baseball thing in his move to MLB. Sure, there were some concerns it might take some time to get there after a slow spring, but, nah, Ohtani hit the ground running once the games counted, and now here we are.

Ohtani hit his fifth homer of the season Thursday, a solo shot, along with an RBI double. Those two hits (video of them here) brought his season line to .354/.400/.677, which under normal circumstances would be leading his team: Ohtani shares a lineup with Mike Trout, though, so his OPS+ of 189 is, regrettably, only good enough for second on the Angels.

That’s regrettable, of course, only for this made-up version of Ohtani I created to complete that sentence and begin this next one. The Angels have to be pleased that he’s mashing and still can’t match Trout, and they even have the bonus of Andrelton Simmons’ 153 OPS+ behind them. There’s a reason the Angels are 23-14 and in first place in the American League West, and it’s the lineup those three have helped power.

Say Hey, Baseball

Everything worth knowing in baseball, every day of the week.

By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and European users agree to the data transfer policy.

Ohtani has, of course, helped out with the pitching staff, too. The Angels’ have a 109 ERA+, which, if it holds up, would be the best the organization has managed since 2008 when they posted a 112 mark during a 100-win campaign. There’s a lot of season left for the Angels and Ohtani to have to maintain this level of success, of course, but the possibility exists that he’ll only get better on the mound with more experience facing MLB’s hitters, too.

And if Ohtani doesn’t, and he’s just an average-ish rotation arm in 2018? Then the Angels will have to settle for one of their best bats being “just” average, I guess.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

Read Again Brow https://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2018/5/11/17343874/shohei-ohtani-angels-home-run

Bagikan Berita Ini