Some Angels Players Won't Miss Shohei Ohtani's Media Attention

The Angels' clubhouse is relatively empty this spring.

Square footage in the Angels' clubhouse is relatively scarce in spring training. The number of players who need a locker is always higher in February and March than it is once the regular season begins, and teams are limited to 26 active players.

Subtracting Shohei Ohtani did more than remove one player and one locker, however. It also took away the dozen or more credentialed reporters affiliated with Japanese outlets whose sole interest in covering Angels games revolved around Ohtani.

Ohtani, who signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in December, attracted a celebrity media contingent unlike any other player. And Angels players are keenly aware of their absence.

According to Sam Blum and Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic, the extra breathing room is an added perk — perhaps the lone perk — of Ohtani's absence this year.

“Sometimes players got intimidated by a lot of media,” said Carlos Estévez, the Angels’ veteran closer. “Some younger guys. They were like, ‘I’m going to stay out of the way.’”

Pitcher Patrick Sandoval was one of Ohtani’s closest friends, but even he acknowledged it was a “weird dynamic” to have the Japanese reporters ask him one question about himself, then 10 more about Ohtani. If cameras caught you so much as nodding at the two-way superstar, the media would ask you to talk about it.

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via The Athletic

Naturally, the Angels' public relations staff is enjoying the more relaxed dynamic, too. Bench coach Ray Montgomery was quoted by The Athletic as saying he's never seen Angels communications manager Grace McNamee, who was specifically assigned to Ohtani's schedule, so relaxed.

While the Dodgers surely won't complain about any nuisances Ohtani creates, it's worth wondering whether the new clubhouse dynamic is better on the whole for a young Angels team unaccustomed to Ohtani's unusual attention. 

How many wins is a more relaxed clubhouse worth, compared to the game's greatest two-way player in at least a century? Count it among the more fascinating subplots of the Angels' 2024 season.