Why Fernando Valenzuela Has No Advice For Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani

Maren Angus-Coombs | Apr 5, 2024

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Dodgers have long-standing history of diversity and bringing in players who represent different cultures. Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier, Sandy Koufax didn't play on Yom Kippur, Fernando Valenzuela bridged the divide between the local Latino community and the team and now, there is Shohei Ohtani.

Ohtani, isn't just a Japanese superstar, he is a global phenomenon, and playing for the Dodgers gives him the platform to bring together baseball lovers from all over the world to sit together and watch history in the making night after night.

“What makes our country great is diversity, and I’m not trying to put the Dodgers on the same level as the United States, but from my lens that’s the way I view it,” manager Dave Roberts told Jill Cowan of the New York Times. “People all over the world recognize our brand, our organization, because there’s a lot of diversity and barrier-breakers that are synonymous with the Dodgers, and that’s very front-of-mind for me.”

Roberts, who was born in Japan to a Japanese mother and an African American father, has also embraced his Asian American identity. The COVID-19 pandemic and anti-Asian sentiment inspired him to love his culture and speak up when he needed to.

“I manage a baseball team, and that’s what I initially thought I was called to do,” he said. “But I quickly learned that when you manage the Dodgers, there’s a huge platform.”

Spring Training at Camelback Ranch was full of fans speaking different languages and from Cowan's observation, Ohtani's arrival tapped into the diverse fanbase that directly reflects the city of Los Angeles.

Cowan also spoke to Steve Brener, the former head of publicity for the Dodgers, who compared Ohtani to Valenzuela and the "Fernandomania" frenzy of the 1980s. When it came time for Cowan to ask Valenzuela if he had any advice for Ohtani, he shook his head.

“No advice,” he said. “People already love him in L.A.”