LA Times Columnist Feels Shohei Ohtani Needs to Leave Anaheim
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I did not think it was possible but somehow Shohei Ohtani managed to grow into an even bigger superstar during this year's World Baseball Classic. He led Japan to a perfect record and delivered in what he referred to as the biggest moment of his career: a facedown between him and Angels teammate Mike Trout.
We all know this ended and anybody that believed Ohtani wasn't the best player on Earth does not have much of an argument. His dominance in every aspect of the sport was on firm display during his seven games of international play.
Naturally, everybody that tuned into the WBC wants to see Ohtani participate in games that actually mean something. He has never been to the playoffs since first debuting with the Halos back in 2018 and that is the main reason he could join a new team after the 2023 season.
Fans and analysts have been calling for him to do so and Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times is no different. He believes the baseball world will benefit as a whole and that the 28-year-old pitcher is too skilled to miss the postseason ever again.
"Ohtani should spend the remainder of his career on a franchise that expects to reach the postseason, not one that hopes to," said Hernandez. "Anything less would be a disservice not only to himself but also to the sport. How exhilarating was it watching Ohtani hurl his glove and cap into the air after striking out Trout? How fun was it watching him smile as much as he did throughout the tournament? This could be every October. This should be every October. Baseball shouldn’t have to wait three more years until the next WBC to see this version of Ohtani."
(Via Dylan Hernandez)
The Angels have not done an amazing job of surrounding Ohtani with talent in his five years with them and he continues to be their most productive player by far. Without knowing any background on the team, if you checked ESPN's latest 2023 player rankings and saw LA has the two top spots with Ohtani and Trout, it would be normal to label them a contender.
However, reality says quite the opposite. Nobody really takes the Angels seriously and it is not Ohtani's fault. He won MVP for carrying the franchise in 2021 and would've took it home again last year if not for heroics from Aron Judge.
I hope Arte Moreno and the Angels' organization had fun watching their superstar wow everybody in the WBC but it should be the final alarm to get this man some help.
