Angels News: Shohei Ohtani Challenges Himself to Be Even Better Next Season

He wants to lead his team to the playoffs in 2023.

Shohei Ohtani is coming off one of the greatest seasons in MLB history.

He was among the league's best as a hitter and pitcher, and became the first player in MLB history to qualify among the league leaders as both a pitcher and batter. Coming off a season in which he was named the unanimous AL MVP, he's right back in the mix, up against Aaron Judge for the 2022 AL MVP award.

However, the Angels finished at 73-89 and missed the playoffs for an eighth consecutive season — despite the incredible seasons by Ohtani and Mike Trout. 

Fresh off a record one-year deal for an arbitration-eligible player, Ohtani is putting it on himself to lead his team to the playoffs in 2023.

“What I have control over is for me to get better in the offseason," Ohtani said through an interpreter. "Do better than last year. Do better than this year. The better I get, the better the chances of us getting in the postseason. So that’s my focus.”

It's hard to imagine Ohtani doing any more, especially considering his 2022 season was even better than his unanimous MVP campaign. But this is the exact attitude you want from your best player, so hopefully he can inspire the rest of the team to push themselves to compete for a playoff spot next season.