Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani. Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Shohei Ohtani has been everything the Dodgers could've hoped for and more

By Mike Santa Barbara | Last updated Apr 25, 2024 12:00 AM ET

Shohei Ohtani hasn't been a Los Angeles Dodger for long, but he's already proving to be worth the $700M investment.

Not only has Ohtani been arguably the team's best player early on, but following a 3-for-6 day in Wednesday's 11-2 win over the Washington Nationals, he's also off to one of the best starts of an already incredible career.

Through the start of the 2024 campaign, Ohtani has recorded his most hits (39), extra-base hits (21), runs (21), total bases (73), and highest batting average (.371), on-base percentage (.433), OPS (1.128) and slugging percentage (.695) of his career.

Ohtani already has 2 unanimous MVPs and is off to his BEST start thru 26 games as a hitter:

XBH: 21, most
Hits: 39, most
BA: .371, best
Runs: 21, most
Total bases: 73, most
OBP: .433, best
SLG: .695, best
OPS: 1.128, best https://t.co/ss1rJzqSEJ
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) April 25, 2024

Meanwhile, after hitting three doubles against the Nationals, Ohtani has 21 extra-base hits this season. Sarah Langs of MLB.com pointed out that only four players in MLB history have had more over their first 26 games with a franchise, including Mandy Brooks (1925, 22), Bo Bichette (2019, 22) and Hall of Famers Hack Wilson (1926, 23) and Joe DiMaggio (1936, 23).

Ohtani's three-double game was his third already this season — no other player in MLB this season has more than one, per Baseball Reference.

For more proof that Ohtani is as locked-in as ever at the plate, look no further than his hard-hit ball percentage.

Shohei Ohtani just hit this baseball 115.6 MPH pic.twitter.com/Ha9SV8PXvJ
— MLB (@MLB) April 24, 2024

According to Codify Baseball, Ohtani is responsible for 11 of the 12 hardest-hit balls this season for the Dodgers, including the top seven. Furthermore, Ohtani has posted hits clocked at 115 mph plus in consecutive games. Per Langs, only Giancarlo Stanton (four times) and Aaron Judge (once) have done so in three straight games or more during the Statcast era (2015).

Whether or not Ohtani can maintain this incredible pace throughout the season remains to be seen. Though, even in the infancy of the 2024 campaign, as far as MVP favorites go, he's got to be atop the shortlist.

Mike Santa Barbara

Mike Santa Barbara is a Wilmington, Delaware native (Yes, it's a real place) with over a decade of sports writing experience. A diehard Philadelphia sports fan, he has two dogs named after Flyers and cried real tears when the Eagles won Super Bowl LII. You can follow him on Twitter at @mike__sb

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