Shohei Ohtani Might Reportedly Be Willing to Give Up Pitching

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, two people who are familiar with Shohei Ohtani think he might be willing to give up pitching if the Los Angeles Dodgers ask him to.

May 11, 2024; San Diego, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) / Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today on Sunday, Los Angeles Dodgers' star Shohei Ohtani might be willing to give up pitching if the team asks him to.

If the Los Angeles Dodgers ask Shohei Ohtani to give up pitching and be an everyday outfielder in the future, two persons familiar with Ohtani’s thinking say he’d likely be amenable.

Ohtani obviously loves hitting, and is perhaps the best in the game to do it, but those close to him say that he doesn’t have the same passion for pitching as hitting. He does both simply because he can do it.

That's interesting on several fronts:

1) We haven't ever heard that Ohtani isn't passionate about pitching. Ohtani doesn't say much publicly, but we've always been under the impression that he likes and values both. Perhaps what he doesn't like is the idea of rehab, as he's now going through his second Tommy John surgery since coming to the United States.

2) We also don't know how Ohtani would do as an everyday outfielder. He's appeared in the outfield in only seven games since coming to the Major Leagues in 2018 and hasn't played the outfield regularly since his days in Japan. As Ohtani will be 30 in the next few months, there's no telling how he'd look out there or how his body may adjust, however he may value the opportunity to make a defensive impact every single day.

3) Ohtani was signed to a 10-year, $700 million deal because of his ability to hit, pitch and be marketable. If he can't pitch moving forward, do the Dodgers regret giving him that kind of deal? Probably not, since he's hitting .352 with 11 homers and has given them even more world wide relevance, but it's at least worth asking in passing.

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