Angels News: Japan Prepared Shohei Ohtani For MLB Stardom

One of the league's brightest stars has been ready for the fame.

When Shohei Ohtani first joined the Los Angeles Angels back in 2018, there was really no telling of just how much he would flourish in the big league. The potential and dominance has always been there since a young age but how many other prodigies have we seen come and go after the years? Ohtani had to prove that he was here to stay.

However, he has skyrocketed past the definition of a normal prodigy and even a superstar. Whenever baseball fans talk about the top players in the game right now, Ohtani is a sure-fire pick to be in that conversation every time. Certain analysts have even thrown him into discussions of whether he is already the greatest to ever take the field.

A unique and special part of the 28-year-old's journey to stardom is that he has represented his home country of Japan the entire time. That is where he first learned how to swing a bat and spent countless hours with his father perfecting his craft.

10 years ago today, in the first-ever NPB draft, the Nippon Ham Fighters selected high school pitching star Shohei Ohtani, who was expected to go straight to MLB but instead played 5 seasons with the team before going overseas. pic.twitter.com/OBT43t7G3g

— High Heat Stats (@HighHeatStats) October 25, 2022

Ohtani is currently in the process of trying to lead Japan to a World Baseball Classic title. He is displaying some electric play both on the mound and at bat per usual and the country's fans have been ecstatic watching him.

Partly due to the growth of the WBC, baseball has grown internationally over the past decade and it's great to see a country like Japan have a hero to look up to in Ohtani. Former Angels' catcher Jack Kruger recently shared some stories about the 2021 MVP and one in. particular showed how Ohtani's upbringing in Japan was important for his status now.

Confused, I asked him to clarify.

"It's 10x worse in Japan. This is much easier to deal with."

Speechless, I took another bite of food.

And that's when I realized the magnitude of Shohei's impact.

But if you want to know what Shohei is really like, read the next story👇

— Jack Kruger (@imjackkruger) March 11, 2023

After some small talk about the food, I asked Ippei how Shohei felt about the media attention. 

Was he overwhelmed? Tired of it?

 Ippei laughed.

 "This is nothing."

Confused, I asked him to clarify. 

"It's 10x worse in Japan. This is much easier to deal with." 

(Via Jack Kruger's Twitter)

No matter where he goes in America, Ohtani will always be looked at as a man beyond life itself. When you are as talented as he is in his profession and represents his country as well as he does, your fanbase will be insanely large. However, it is clear he knew what he was getting into playing for the MLB and has been prepared for years.