Angels News: Shohei Ohtani Discusses The Mental Challenges of Being a Two-Way Player

I was able to see Shohei Ohtani's start in person against the Dodgers in the Angels' 2-0 loss Wednesday night, and I will never forget it.

The best and most unique baseball player of my generation continues to stun supporters and opposing fans alike, throwing 12 strikeouts in 7 innings. And come the Aug. 1 trade deadline or free agency if the Angels decide to hang onto their superstar, baseball fans worldwide will dream of ordering an Ohtani jersey in their colors.

Ohtani opened up after the Angels' second loss in as many days to the Dodgers. He struggled from the plate on Wednesday, going 0-3 with a walk, and spoke about the balance he keeps between his focus on batting and pitching.

"More than the physical aspect, it's like the mentality of switching from hitter to pitcher," Ohtani said. "Like today I had bad results at the plate, but I need to forget about that when I go to the mound. The mental part is the harder part than the physical part."

(Via

The Orange County Register

)

According to Ohtani, he was focused on studying film on each of the four Dodger pitchers he faced throughout the game.

"I was kind of busy looking at each pitcher (on the tablet) in between each at-bat," Ohtani said through interpreter Ippie Mizuhara.

(Via

The Orange County Register

)

Every other batter gets to solely focus on their next at-bat during the game. Every other pitcher is free to lock in on their craft in between each inning. For Ohtani, the juggling act never stops.

"He deals with a lot every day," Angels manager Phil Nevin said. "And that's probably one of the things that impresses me most is his routine, his preparation. He's able to put a lot of things to the side and still be the best player in the world ... But what's more impressive to me is away from the field, behind the scenes, how he prepares his body, his mind, even sleep, just to prepare to be the best. And he absolutely is that."

(Via

The Orange County Register

)

Ohtani currently leads batters in home runs, slugging percentage, and OPS and is second in strikeouts per nine innings, and is sixth in the current odds for the American League Cy Young award.

Whatever balance Ohtani works so hard to maintain, it is clearly paying dividends that will present themselves in a pretty large contract come the offseason.