Angels News: Shohei Ohtani Talks About How He Adjusted to Become a Two-Way Player
Since coming into the league, Shohei Ohtani has been a household name for not only Angels fans, but sports fans all over the world. Ohtani has turned into the greatest two-way player in MLB history, but it took some time for him to be able to master the craft of pitching and hitting together.
In 2021, Ohtani put it all together on the way to becoming 19th unanimous MVP in MLB history. Ohtani finished with 46 home runs and 100 RBIs on a .257 batting average and pitched a 3.18 ERA with a 9-2 record and 156 strikeouts in 23 games. In 2022, he was, somehow, even better.
Ohtani truly has found his way into stardom and told FOX's Ben Verlander how it came to fruition.
"For pitching, I thought that adjusting was just about getting used to the ball. So rather than adapting to how batters react, I thought the most important thing as a pitcher was to pitch to my strengths," Ohtani said. "As a batter, if I were to compare, it was difficult. The pitches were faster, more intense. It felt totally different. At the start, spring training was terrible. They reminded me about it a lot. But when the season started, I think I managed to adapt."
Adapting is a part of the game, and Ohtani has excelled at it. He may have even created a new precedent, where more players try to be like him. However, Ohtani's former manager Joe Maddon has already said he doesn't expect to see a wave of two-way players, because no one is like Shohei Ohtani.
