Shohei Ohtani is no longer the face of the Los Angeles Angels, but his jersey number remains in use. And fans can’t believe which player is now using it.
The Angels signed Hunter Dozier to a minor league contract last month, and the infielder has chosen to wear No. 17 in spring training. Most fans reacted similarly to seeing Ohtani’s old number on Dozier, designated for assignment and released by the Kansas City Royals early last season.
Ohtani is considered by many to be the best player in baseball. It is even more ironic to see Dozier wearing Ohtani’s old number when you consider that Dozier has been the worst player in MLB since 2021 by one metric — wins above replacement (WAR).
Ohtani’s jersey number was obviously up for grabs when he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers. We highly doubt Dozier took it because he wanted to be compared to Ohtani, but it looks wrong on him.
Dozier is a career .238 hitter. He batted .183 in 29 games for Kansas City before they moved on from him last year.
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