Yankees icon offers bold advice to Shohei Ohtani

Beloved New York Yankees icon and four-time World Series champion Bernie Williams thinks Los Angeles Angels two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani should eventually commit to either pitching or hitting full-time. 

"I would say, as entertaining and as amazing as he is, I think at some point he's going to have to make a decision [between hitting and pitching]," Williams said about Ohtani during a chat with Sports Illustrated’s Robin Lundberg, as shared by Kameron Duncan of The Spun. "The one that he feels the most comfortable with. Pitchers do one thing for a reason because it's really hard to just be a pitcher."

Ohtani underwent successful Tommy John surgery in the fall of 2018 and is now dealing with an ulnar collateral ligament tear in his right elbow that could cause him to again go under the knife this fall and could also cost him over $100M, if not more, in free agency. 

At least one physician with experience performing Tommy John surgeries has suggested the 29-year-old should spend all of 2024 recovering from his latest setback if he wants to make a full return to starting pitching while continuing to serve as a hitter. 

Williams, a five-time All-Star across his 16-year career, noted that Ohtani's body could ultimately have the final say on when the to-be two-time American League Most Valuable Player will have to either remove himself from pitching mounds or batter's boxes. 

"Being on top of your game in both disciplines, pitching and hitting, it’s kind of showing up," Williams added, according to Patrick Andres of Sports Illustrated. "It might be the beginning of a trend, where you have a guy that is taking such a toll on his body by hitting and pitching at this level." 

Similar conversations about Ohtani's future are likely already taking place in front offices throughout MLB even though it's unclear how he'll address his current injury. The Yankees are expected to at least explore signing Ohtani this offseason and understandably could be interested to know what Williams and other long-time players think about the phenom both pitching and hitting across the first half of his 30s.