Bernie Williams Says Shohei Ohtani Should Choose Between Pitching, Hitting

For almost three tantalizing full years, Angels designated hitter and pitcher Shohei Ohtani demonstrated his true potential to the baseball world.

From 2021 to ’23, Ohtani was inarguably among both the top hitters and pitchers in MLB at the same time. He produced an average of 45 home runs and 106 RBIs per 162 games, to go with a sterling 2.84 ERA that invited adulation across the world of sports.

However, the superstar is now merely an elite hitter after being diagnosed with a UCL tear on Aug. 23—a development that followed his early exit from a start against the Reds.

To one of the game’s greats—Bernie Williams, a five-time All-Star center fielder with the Yankees from 1991 to ’06—Ohtani’s injury could be a sign of things to come.

“I think at some point he’s gonna have to make a decision and pick one, the one that he probably feels the most comfortable with,” Williams told Sports Illustrated’s Robin Lundberg on Thursday.

Ohtani abandoned pitching briefly while recovering from Tommy John surgery in 2019, hitting .286 with 18 home runs and 62 RBIs in 106 games.

“Being on top of your game in both disciplines, pitching and hitting, it’s kind of showing up,” Williams said. “It might be the beginning of a trend, where you have a guy that is taking such a toll on his body by hitting and pitching at this level. Pitchers do one thing for a reason.”