Unicorn. Superstar. Five-tool player. “Showtime.” Greatest of all time? Pick your nickname or adjective, it likely describes Shohei Ohtani.
One of Major League Baseball’s most electric players in over 100 years, Ohtani and the LA Dodgers are 88-61, leading the NL West by 3.5 games, and two games back of the Phillies for home field advantage throughout the playoffs.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is not ruling out Ohtani, who continues to recover from Tommy John surgery from last May, returning to the mound as a reliever in the postseason. He’s the modern day Babe Ruth, arguably the best to ever wear a uniform.
Ohtani is on the brink of eclipsing a historic feat not even Ruth could come close to.
Shohei is closing in on becoming the first player in MLB history to join the 50/50 club: 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases. He’s three homers away and two steals from the record. 13 games remain.
Ronald Acuña Jr. became the first player in history to reach the 40/70 plateau last year. 50/50 is different. Out of all the great players and great athletes that have stepped foot on a baseball field, a two-way star that’s still RECOVERING from an injury could become the first.
Not by Ricky Henderson. Not by Barry Bonds. Not by Ken Griffey Jr. Not Mike Trout. Not by ANYONE in 150 years. The combination of power and speed is off the charts.
Henderson never hit more than 28 home runs in a season despite 11 years of 50+ steals. Bonds stole 52 bags during his 1990 NL MVP campaign, but only 33 homers. Bonds never came close to 30 stolen bases at the turn of the century.
Griffey hit over 50 home runs twice. Never stole more than 20 bases during the 1997 and 1998 seasons when he slugged 56 dingers both years. Trout’s best chance came as a 20 year old in 2012, recording an MLB best 49 steals and 30 home runs. Ohtani is doing this at 30 years old, his seventh MLB season.
Ohtani is slashing .289/.373/.610 with a .983 OPS. He’s eighth in the NL in average, third in hits (166), second in RBIs (104), second in steals, and first in homers and runs scored. He’s a threat in EVERY aspect.
Shohei Ohtani is the greatest baseball player I’ve ever seen. The Japanese superstar is a global phenom who’s substantially helped grow the game abroad and through the World Baseball Classic. He’s in the top five of nearly every statistical offensive category while serving as the Dodgers’ DH.
It’s even more impressive factoring in that Ohtani only takes roughly four at-bats per game and still remains as locked in as he is despite not playing the field.
Aaron Judge broke Roger Maris’ AL single-season home run record (61) with 63 long balls in 2023, a record some attested to being the “clean” record in a season. At one point it looked like Judge would set another new record. He’s topped out at 52 in 147 games so far.
It’s hard to make history. It’s hard to maintain peak performance and a clean bill of health over 162 games. Ohtani picked up right where he left off with the Angels, but it’s different now. It’s the Dodgers. It’s LA in the National League. He’s playing for one of the most recognizable brands in all of sports. He’s a cultural icon for many of the game’s young fans. Ohtani is more recognizable than ever before. Baseball is better because of it.
Major League Baseball in 2024 is about two things: home runs and strikeouts. In a world where small ball, speed, and manufacturing runs has taken a backseat to hitting the ball out of the ballpark, Ohtani is revolutionizing the game with both.
That’s what’s most impressive about this record chase – knowing Ohtani, he’s going to reach the mountaintop. It’s not everyday we get to watch the greatest player of all time suit up and shine on the brightest stage. I’m too young to have watched Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and obviously Babe Ruth.
There’s no denying the unbalanced playing field depriving all 30 teams from the same level of success without a salary cap and salary floor like the three other major sports leagues in the country. Some people will point to the mighty Dodgers and root for Ohtani to fall short. It may not be a large number of people, but some will.
Soak it in. Embrace greatness. I attended the Pirates-Dodgers series this season at PNC Park in front of a sold out crowd with Paul Skenes on the mound. It was an incredible night. Skenes struck out Ohtani in his first at-bat and blew 100 mph fastballs by him. Ohtani responded in his next AB but hitting a 400-foot home run to deep center. It was greeted against greatness. It was a game I’ll remember attending for a whole.
In addition to the home run and stolen base figures, Ohtani owns 30 doubles and seven triples in 575 at-bats. The combination of power and speed, rather than selling out for one or the other, is what makes Ohtani’s historic run so unique. The game is not what it used to be 30 years ago. It’s not the same game as even 15 years ago.
Ohtani has combined for 95 home runs and stolen bases. Elly De La Cruz is the next closest, combining for 88 including 64 steals. The next closest in the NL home run race is Marcel Ozuna. He’s 10 back of the lead.
I don’t think people have fully processed the type of player Ohtani is. He has 70-grade power and 70-grade speed. Pair that with being a top of the rotation starting pitcher when healthy. This is not easy to do. It’s hard. There’s a reason no one’s ever done it. Power and speed typically doesn’t rock in the same boat.
I’m appreciating Shohei Ohtani’s chase for history like Judge a year ago. Isn’t it fun watching history unfold? Maybe you didn’t want to see Judge break Maris’ record, a feat that stood for over 60 years. There’s no one in front of Ohtani. He’s in a league of his own. He’s the one setting the standard.
Ohtani makes it look easy. His next task is to do it in the playoffs, a place he never saw light at the end of the tunnel in Anaheim. His first playoff game is weeks away.
Ohtani will become the first 50/50 player. Why would anyone bet against him? 13 games isn’t a large sample size but why doubt a player made in a laboratory exhibiting every skill imaginable.
It’s a story built for Hollywood, but you can’t write this script. Shohei Ohtani eclipsing the first 50/50 season will further cement him as a top five player of all time, and he might not two, three, four, or five.
