Mound Musings: The Age of Shohei

I wonder if baseball fans realize we have entered a brave new world? The sport is almost 150 years old, and over the years there have been titles assigned to describe the unique aspects of the game in that time period. There was a "Dead Ball Era" when homeruns became exceedingly rare, and a "Juiced Ball Era" when your grandmother could pop 25 long ones in a season. However, while there have always been players associated with the different ages of baseball, I don't think there has ever been a time when a single player defined the sport … until now.

When Shohei Ohtani arrived from Japan in the spring of 2018, eyebrows raised, and curiosities were piqued. There was talk that the 23-year-old had the tools to both pitch and hit at the major league level. What? Babe Ruth did that, albeit briefly, about 100 years ago, but it just didn't seem practical, and he dropped pitching to focus on hitting. In hindsight, it seems like it was probably a good idea.

The buzz surrounding Ohtani actually began when he was playing in the Japanese equivalent of little league. He was clearly special. By the time he reached high school, the hype was deafening. In 2012, at age 18, Ohtani announced that he would go directly to the United States in hopes of playing in the major leagues. There were quite a few teams interested, but there was a hang up. The MLB teams were just not prepared to commit to having him both pitch, and hit, on a regular basis. Ohtani balked, and instead signed with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters of NPB's Pacific League, who had drafted him despite his stated intentions to go to the States.

His first season, he played 51 games in the outfield, and made 11 starts on the mound. He was 3-0 with a modest 4.23 ERA while hitting just .238, but, keep in mind, he was facing competition more advanced than high school players for the first time. Things picked up as he matured – not too surprisingly – and each season got better. He enjoyed perhaps his best years in Japan in 2015-16 when he went a combined 25-9 on the mound and hit equally as well. It was just about time to take "Shotime" to America.

Ohtani signed with the Angels prior to the 2018 season, and he pitched and hit on a limited basis that year, but an elbow injury put things on pause. He was unable to pitch in 2019, although he could still hit, and spent the season as the Angels DH. He briefly tried pitching in the shortened 2020 season, but he clearly wasn't fully back to form, and went back to strictly hitting. Then, the baseball world changed in 2021. Manager Joe Madden proclaimed the "gloves are coming off" and Ohtani would be allowed to DH fulltime, even on his regular pitching days. He started off a bit slow, but …

So, is Ohtani the ultimate MVP?

At this writing, in 2021, Ohtani is 9-1 with a 2.97 ERA, a 1.07 WHIP, and 135 strikeouts in 112 innings. That's performing at a pretty nice clip, especially when you consider he was still rounding into form early in the season, which generally resulted in higher pitch counts, more baserunners, and shorter outings. I mention the pitching side first because, well, Mound Musings is all about pitching. Right? He hasn't done bad at the plate either. Try a baseball-leading 43 homeruns, 90 RBIs, oh, and 23 stolen bases thrown in for good measure. The hitting side alone is enough to earn him consideration as the MVP. But, the pitching side can definitely stand on its own merits.

He is making fantasy history

It looks like most leagues are making the necessary adjustments to accommodate a true two-way player. Originally, most leagues only allowed Ohtani owners to use him in their lineups as either a hitter or pitcher, but not both. It wasn't terrible in daily lineup formats, but it was grossly unfair in most lineup scenarios. To make it right, most leagues now have two separate Ohtanis, and owners can deploy each independently. Basically, once on a team, he takes up two roster spots and two active lineup slots if being used as both a pitcher and hitter for a particular scoring period. That is certainly unprecedented.

What does that mean on draft day? Frankly, I can see him being the first player off the board in many leagues – or the highest priced in auction formats. I know the always conservative world of baseball flinches at such changes, but it is needed. It simply isn't fair to limit a player's value to one stat line or the other when he clearly contributes both. Just because we haven't seen it before does not mean it should remain outside the rules. I don't know if this will end up being a one-off scenario. There have been a handful of other players being considered as two-way players, but I'm not confident others will be able to succeed. I talk about "generational" talent. Ohtani might be beyond that.

The best could be yet to come

I don't recall dedicating a full Mound Musings column to a single player, but then I don't recall another player ever having this kind of impact on the sport. I have touted Ohtani since he arrived. He has an incredible repertoire including a fastball that routinely touches 100 mph, and a split-finger pitch that defies description. The second half of this season has seen improved command resulting in dominant results. Keep in mind, going into this year he had pitched just 53 innings over the past three seasons. Rust was certainly to be expected. And, the Angels have very understandably monitored his workload. What happens in 2022 when they can turn him loose? He could theoretically approach 200 innings, and the results could be a new level of MVP.

Some Notable Rotation Ramblings:

• Toronto's Hyun Jin Ryu pitched very effectively (six shutout innings) against the Yankees his last time out, but he left after just 80 pitches with a tight left forearm. The Jays say they aren't concerned, but being in a playoff berth hunt, they can't afford to give him much extra rest. Monitor this situation for updates.
• The Cardinals Adam Wainwright started with catcher Yadier Molina for the 300th time in his last start. That's pretty amazing, but his performance in 2021 is even more incredible. Like many aging pitchers, he needed to transition from relying on very good stuff to being more of a finesse pitcher. He made it look easy.
• Kenta Maeda struggled through the majority of 2021, and has now undergone surgery on his throwing arm elbow that will take him out of 2022 consideration. I really expected a solid season from him this year, but, as always, a solid season is very dependent on good health. I don't expect to see him until 2023.
• I watched another outing that was much better than the pitcher's line would suggest. Cincinnati's Sonny Gray was down 3-0 after three batters, but he was masterful after that. He had a rough July but he has been much more consistent with his breaking pitches since. He's moving up on my depth charts.
• Cleveland welcomed back Aaron Civale earlier this week after he missed the past couple months with a finger injury. Having not pitched since late June, he gave a good accounting of himself, allowing just one run in 4.2 innings while tossing 78 pitches. He could help a fantasy team down the stretch.
• All eyes are (or should be) on the Mets over these next couple of weeks. Fantasy owners really need to see Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard pitch – even if it's only a handful of innings – before the end of the 2021 season if they are to have any sense of confidence come draft day next spring.

Endgame Odyssey:

The Cubs Rowan Wick is healthy now and, as expected, appears to be settling in as their regular closer. I don't see him as an elite option, but he has the tools to probably do an adequate job going forward. Let's take a look at the Reds bullpen. Tejay Antone is out for the year, so pretty much everyone is getting a shot. The flavor of the week right now appears to be Mychal Givens. He does have some closing experience, but I think Michael Lorenzen might be a marginally better alternative. However, his ability to provide multiple innings is a big boost to his value. Like the Reds, the Cardinals are struggling to get a handle on their shaky bullpen. Lack of command finally caught up with Alex Reyes, which led to a shift to Giovanny Gallegos, but the usually reliable veteran was hit hard in a recent outing. Maybe Andrew Miller? Don't look now, but the Orioles might have a realistic closer candidate. Tyler Wells, a Rule-5 pick, has good stuff, and he throws strikes. His long-term health is a bit worrisome, but he could be worth a shot. The Pirates David Bednar has just three saves this year, but that's mostly a product of the team not winning many games. He seems to be settling in as the closer and might be a legitimate play for the future. Ohtani has been an excellent No. 1 starter, and Raisel Iglesias has done a solid job as their closer, but everything in between has been a train wreck for the Angels. I'll be anxious to see how they approach this offseason.