Former Angels Hitting Coach Says Shohei Ohtani Will Make Adjustments to Return to Two-Way Stardom

Ohtani still has the skills to remain the best hitter and pitcher in the league.

With Shohei Ohtani's UCL tear, there is a chance that he might not pitch again, at least at a starting capacity. Nothing is certain as both the nature of his injury and potential surgery is unknown.

However, Ohtani has already shown that he can bounce back from Tommy John surgery, as the 29-year-old had his first in 2018 — and we all know what happened after.

One thing that will for sure change is the way teams approach him in free agency. But former Angels' hitting coach Jeremy Reed told The Athletic's Levi Weaver and Ken Rosenthal that he thinks Ohtani is at his best when he is focused on both hitting and pitching, and that he'll be able to continue doing both at an elite level.

"I really believe in my heart it makes him better to do both," Reed said. "(But) I have a completely different perspective on him now. This guy is a totally different player. He is relentless with getting better. He has tightened up some holes."

(Via

The Athletic

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Since exiting Aug. 23 with the devastating injury, Ohtani is batting .285 with five walks, two stolen bases, three doubles and a triple. Even facing a (partial) career-threatening injury, Ohtani is still producing at a high level.

“He understands what people are trying to do to him," Reed said. "That’s not mechanical stuff. That’s more just him growing in the game. The maturity he has in his at-bats now have shown that the guy could hit 50-60 home runs year in and year out. I don’t think he’ll slow down. I don’t think this will put a hindrance on his offensive production one bit.”

(Via

The Athletic

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With Ohtani, Reed said focusing on one thing can cause his performance to taper down. Having both to focus on allows him to just play.

“We’ve seen him do one. When he was hurt, he just hit,”

Reed said i

n 2021. “When Shohei thinks about two things, he doesn’t think about one thing. He’s so detail-oriented, that detail can turn into a single-minded, ‘want-to-be-great’ thing. When he dedicates his time throughout the day to, ‘I’ve got to do this, this and this’ to be ready to play, I think there is less focus on one thing to be great and he’s great at both.”

(Via

The Athletic

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Rosenthal and Weaver noted that, if Ohtani wants to return as an elite pitcher, sitting the 2024 season out to focus on rehab might be his best path to returning to the mound. Reed thinks that he can do both and thrive.

“He’ll use his rehab as that exit. When the bat is not going well, he’ll compartmentalize like that,” Reed said. “It’s hard to compare. He’s not even close to the same hitter he was in ‘19. I don’t know why certain teams even pitch to him at certain times now. It’s crazy how much he can change a game with one swing of the bat, one plate appearance. I don’t think he’s going to waver.”

(Via

The Athletic

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