Angels News: Shohei Ohtani’s Former Manager on His Incredible Work Ethic

It takes more than just skill to be great.

Shohei Ohtani's skillset has taken him a long way in life. But it's far from the only reason he's turned into the greatest two-way player in baseball history. 

His work ethic, and the way he approaches the game, have also played a huge part. And his former manager in Japan, Hideki Kuriyama of the Nippon-Ham Fighters, spoke with FOX's Ben Verlander to provide a little peek into the work ethic of the great Shohei Ohtani.

Kuriyama shared this incredible story of Ohtani from 2016.

"When we clinched the Japan Series in 2016, everyone was celebrating and having fun," Kuriyama said. "And then on Christmas Day, slightly past 1 am, I got a line message from someone. It said 'A Christmas present for the manager. Something that will make you most happy. This is Shohei Ohtani now.'

"It was a video of Shohei, all alone at 1 am Christmas morning at a minor league indoor complex just hitting the ball to change his hitting mechanics for the next year. At a time when everyone was partying and relaxing, he was practicing more than anyone else. That’s the kind of player Shohei Ohtani was."

This story is a perfect look into the work ethic of Ohtani. He truly just cares about being the best baseball player he can be, and putting in the work to get there. On a day where everyone was celebrating, Ohtani was right back in the batting cages trying to fix some mechanics that probably didn't need much fixing.

Kuriyama also tried to give a little peek into the mind of Ohtani, and why his work ethic is as strong as it is.

"I believe he wants to go where no one has gone before," Kuriyama said, "The top of the ceiling. His goal is probably somewhere unknown to anyone. I want to believe that his goal is somewhere unknown to anyone, and I will continue to believe so."

It's hard to argue with that, after he had an even better 2022 season, following up a year in which he was named the 19th unanimous MVP in MLB history.

And after signing his record one year, $30 million deal for an arbitration-eligible player, he just spoke about how he needed to be even better next season to live up to the contract. The Angels are so lucky to have Ohtani on their team.