Shohei Ohtani is a base-stealing threat for the Los Angeles Dodgers, a consistently above-average baserunner since he arrived in Major League Baseball in 2018.
With Ohtani hitting ahead of Freddie Freeman in his first season in Los Angeles, the two Dodgers have come up with their own plan for the season.
In his postgame interview with Wednesday at Camelback Ranch, Freeman told reporters that he and Ohtani had already talked about a strategy to help Ohtani steal more bases this season.
“I’ll take every time. Every time he goes, I’ll take the pitch. He asked me if there were any counts or anything (when he wouldn’t want Ohtani to run), I said, ‘No, go for it.’ I want him in scoring position. I hope he steals 100.”
With Ohtani not pitching this season, many baseball experts — including his former hitting coach with the Angels — including his former hitting coach with the Angels are predicting Ohtani might steal at least 40 bases .
In an interview with Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times, Jeremy Reed said Ohtani wants to run whenever he has the chance.
“We’re talking about a dynamic runner, a dynamic mover, with the strength and leverage to go with it. I would never put any limitations on him. That’s how good he is. So if he went out there and had a 40/40 season, I would not be surprised. I would actually be like, ‘Yeah, I knew he could do that.’ ”
Ohtani's career-high for stolen bases in a single season is 26, which came during his first MVP season in 2021.
There has to be more ahead in 2024.
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