Shohei Ohtani, ever since coming stateside in 2018, has been on a historic career path. After all, he provides MVP value by being one of the best players in both the hitting and pitching side of the baseball equation. Thus, it became a major coup for the Los Angeles Dodgers when they were able to secure Ohtani’s signature in free agency, getting his services for the next 10 years for an eye-poppingly large amount of deferred money.
In 2024, however, Ohtani will be a full-time hitter, barring an unforeseen positive development in his recovery from an elbow injury. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is sure that he’ll provide elite value all the same. After all, Roberts believes that when all is said and done, Ohtani can be the best player to ever step foot on a baseball diamond — even better than Barry Bonds, the man whom Roberts called as the “most talented” player he ever played with.
“I think as far as the talent Barry was the most talented player I’ve ever played with, and Shohei probably has a chance to be the most talented player ever play the game of baseball,” Roberts said in an interview with SportsNet LA.
Indeed, Shohei Ohtani’s talent level may be unmatched in the history of the sport. It’s difficult enough to be elite on one side of the ball, but to be an MVP-caliber player in both? That is some exceptionally rarefied air for the Dodgers star.
To be compared to Barry Bonds (as a baseball player alone, of course) is nothing short of phenomenal. Controversy may follow Bonds wherever he goes due to his history of using performance-enhancing drugs, but there was a time where the mere sight of Bonds on the lineup card was enough to strike fear into the opponents’ hearts. That kind of intimidation takes talent, and to be mentioned alongside him is a testament to how scary Ohtani can be on the field as well.
It will be so much fun to witness the Dodgers field their stacked lineup in 2024, and, health permitting, Shohei Ohtani can only turn more heads when he heads back to the mound in 2025.
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