After Shohei Ohtani had surgery to repair a labrum tear, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was a bit concerned about how things would end up. However, those fears were put to rest over the weekend. In his first live pitching performance since his surgery, Roberts liked what he saw from his dual-threat player.
“Shohei looked good,” Roberts said via Jack Magruder of MLB.com. “He got a lot of swings off, he said he felt good afterward. He hit a couple of balls hard, which is good to see. I’m excited that he got to face some pitchers. We are still on track for [the] end of next week that he will be in a game DHing.”
While Ohtani played the majority of the season as a hitter, he’s an elite pitcher, too. The Dodgers star was on his way to possibly win the Cy Young, in addition to MVP. He went 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA and 163 strikeouts in 23 games started. His pitching season was cut short, but not his hitting.
The Dodgers slugger remained dominant throughout the season. As a result, Ohtani took home the National League MVP for his efforts. He led the league in home runs, RBIs, as well as many other advanced categories.
Dodgers’ Dave Roberts is encouraged by Shohei Ohtani’s progress
Ohtani is labeled a generational player, and for good reason. His pitching and hitting prowess is second to none. There hasn’t been a player since Babe Ruth that can do both. However, the Dodgers star is an excellent pitcher. He’s a starter throwing in the high 90s.
Not to mention, his command and break on some of the off-speed pitches is quite impressive. His pitching record and statistics don’t exactly do him justice. After all, Ohtani was fourth in the American League CY Young voting. For a player that can do both pitching and hitting so effectively must be nice for the Dodgers.
Luckily, Spring Training is the perfect way to get players comfortable and back into an old routine and regimen. Ohtani hasn’t pitched since the midway point of last season. His throwing, and having a good showing on top of that is encouraging, to say the least. As Spring Training continues to carry on, it’ll be worth noting if Ohtani pitches a game.
Regardless of what he does or he doesn’t, Roberts’s sentiment remains the same. He likes what he sees from his star pitcher, and this is a sentiment that likely the entire team feels.
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