Ohtani: The Two-Way Player Dilemma in the Dodgers
Shohei Ohtani’s approach on the field has undergone a significant change. After intensifying his preparation as a pitcher, Ohtani reduced his base-stealing attempts during June and July. However, now, as he approaches the workload of a traditional starting pitcher, his aggressiveness in the game has resurfaced. In twelve August games, Ohtani has attempted to steal five bases, a change that Dodgers manager Dave Roberts attributes to the urgency of the moment. The struggling Dodgers are looking to maximize Ohtani’s opportunities to help the team. This has led to Ohtani forcing action on the field. This is just one aspect of a larger conflict: the tension between Ohtani’s potential and the strategies the Dodgers consider optimal for his performance and health. Ohtani has established himself as the Dodgers’ best hitter and has quickly become one of their best pitchers. However, the convergence of these skills occurs at a time of conflicting interests. On the one hand, a bullpen in crisis and a disorganized offense, along with a division lead that has been reduced to one game. On the other hand, a player who is still adapting to his two-way role and a team focused on preserving his health. In the Dodgers’ fourth consecutive loss, Ohtani pitched in the fifth inning for the first time in almost two years. Roberts has stated that it is “unlikely” that Ohtani will pitch more than six innings this season, and extending beyond that is practically ruled out, regardless of what happens in the next month and a half. The Dodgers, still analyzing the impact of Ohtani as a pitcher and hitter, prioritize the long-term vision.Following his first Tommy John surgery and during the COVID-19 shortened season in 2020, Ohtani struggled to resume his two-way role. In two starts, he allowed seven runs in 1 1/3 innings. This time, success has been almost immediate. Ohtani has maintained an elite offensive performance and has recorded an ERA of 3.47, with 32 strikeouts and only five walks in his first 23 2/3 innings as a pitcher. Currently, he throws the fastest fastball of his career, averaging 98.3 mph, and his slider is giving him incredible results, with a whiff rate of 56.5% and an expected slugging percentage of .134. Ohtani has incorporated several variations of cutters and sliders, which has impressed Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior.“It’s not easy when you’re in the middle of the competition, but he’s a very valuable player for us, both offensively and as a pitcher, so forcing an extra inning or five innings in total, it’s just not worth it,” Roberts said. “There are too many drawbacks, instead of staying the course. We all feel comfortable with our plan right now.”
Dave Roberts
Ohtani pitched from the stretch in his previous 86 starts with the Angels and continued to do so in bullpen sessions with the Dodgers last year. Surprisingly, he arrived at spring training and began pitching from the windup, explaining that this allowed him to feel more athletic and less stagnant, following his second ulnar collateral ligament repair. Furthermore, this would force him to involve his lower body more, thus reducing stress on his right arm. The process unfolded methodically. Spring training served as Ohtani’s offseason launch program. His pitching debut came on June 16, about two months ahead of schedule, as Ohtani preferred to rehabilitate in Major League environments. In a one-inning start, Ohtani reached his optimal fastball velocity with ease, giving him confidence to keep moving forward. After an exit from an entry in his first two openings, Ohtani increased to two innings in his third and fourth, and then had two consecutive exits of three innings. He was scheduled to pitch four innings in Cincinnati on July 30, but suffered cramps, which led to his early exit. Seven days later, Ohtani made his best start of the year against the Cardinals, allowing one run, with eight strikeouts in four innings.“He has that quality,” Prior said. “He’s able to put things into practice. And when things don’t work, he’s still able to find ways to beat you.”
Mark Prior
The original plan was for him to pitch four innings against the Angels on Wednesday, but the Dodgers, encouraged by his progress, increased the amount to five. Ohtani allowed two runs in the bottom of the second, then struck out Luis Rengifo with a splitter to start the fifth. Consecutive singles and a double put the tying run in scoring position and prompted Ohtani’s exit after 80 pitches, the most of the season. His ERA was 2.74 when he started the inning and increased by almost a full run by the end.
This served as another reminder that Ohtani, although effective and dynamic, is still adapting.Teoscar Hernández, like many others, wondered how Ohtani prepared as both a hitter and a pitcher on game days. Since becoming his teammate, he has been surprised by the simplicity of the process.“I don’t think he’s there yet,” Roberts said recently. “I think he’s only going to get better as he has more time to do it.”
Dave Roberts
Roberts has noticed “more aggression” on the days Ohtani is a starter, saying that “he transforms into another type of person.” The priority on those days is pitching. Hitting is secondary, which seems to come at a cost. Ohtani is batting .284/.391/.629 with 17 steals and 43 home runs, leading the National League, this season. These numbers, without even considering his pitching, should position him for his fourth MVP award in five years. But Ohtani is only batting .222 on the days he is a starter, hitting 8 for 36 with 17 strikeouts. It’s a small sample size, but it might not be a coincidence.“I thought it would take him a lot more work to prepare for that day,” Hernandez said, “but I think it’s less when he’s pitching. It’s as if he were saving a lot of energy for when he has to go up to the mound.”
Teoscar Hernandez
The Dodgers’ coaches organize a scouting report tailored to both the opponent and what their starting pitchers prioritize in the days leading up to their start, and then they meet hours before the first pitch. That process is no different for Ohtani, Prior said. The additional element of incorporating batting requires the involvement of other players, specifically regarding the use of batting cages and indoor training rooms. The goal on those days, Prior added, is “to make sure his day is seamless from start to finish.” Ohtani’s consistency and efficiency help that cause, but they don’t detract from the challenge.“When he’s pitching, there’s an added emphasis, understandably, on pitching,” Roberts said. “I don’t think there’s a better option, as far as not playing him or having someone else [in the lineup]. I think there has to be a calibration that has to happen, that will happen.”
Dave Roberts
Even if the offensive production in the starting days has been relatively scarce, Ohtani’s presence in the lineup has been significant. In the third inning of his eighth start on August 6, he hit a two-run home run that temporarily gave the Dodgers the lead. In the first inning of his ninth start a week later, he led off with a triple and then scored. The Dodgers lost both games, the result of an extremely short bullpen and an offense that has been too inconsistent to compensate. Even as a fully formed two-way player, Ohtani can’t do it all by himself, and the Dodgers wouldn’t allow it anyway. Each entry, it seems, comes at a cost.“It’s really difficult,” said Dodgers opener Blake Snell. “It’s hard to focus on both because there’s a lot of work preparing for a pitcher, knowing what they can do. He has to know that, and he also needs to know all the hitters, so it’s extremely difficult. I think it will take him time to figure out his ways of, ‘How am I going to do this?'”
Blake Snell
“For me, in my first year of throwing again, what we’re doing now, essentially, is house money,” Roberts said. “It’s added value to be a two-way player. We have to be mindful of Shohei now and also in the future.”
Dave Roberts
