MLB Analyst Inexplicably Calls Shohei Ohtani the Dodgers’ Most Important Signing Ever
Fox Sports analyst Ben Verlander has been under fire since Tuesday when he inexplicably called Shohei Ohtani the "most important signing in Dodgers history." Here's his full quote, via Fox Sports on Twitter/X:
While Ohtani is a big signing — definitely among the biggest in baseball history — this take has not sat well with the baseball world, and understandably so.
The Dodgers organization is most famous for making the single most important signing in sports history, when they signed Jackie Robinson in 1947 and broke the color barrier.
Robinson and the Dodgers changed the entire world with that signing, and there's a reason the MLB celebrates him every year on April 15 by having all the players wear No. 42.
If you don't know the entire history of Robinson, you can click here for more information.
Additionally, in 1979, the Dodgers signed a young Mexican pitcher by the name of Fernando Valenzuela, bringing in an entire new fan base to the Dodgers and endearing them to the game of baseball.
Valenzuela became an icon in the Los Angeles community, and changed the game of baseball for an entire country.
To learn more about Valenzuela and "Fernandomania," you can click here.
Fans and players alike were understandably upset with Verlander's comments.
Here was longtime Dodgers fan favorite Justin Turner with some thoughts:
Fans from all across the baseball world spoke out about this take, too:
Doug McKain of Dodgers Nation put it perfectly here:
He also spoke about it on his show on the Dodgers Nation YouTube channel on Wednesday:
Verlander has long been a supporter of Ohtani, but he's taken it a bit too far. To say he's the "most important signing" in the history of a team that broke the color barrier and changed the sports world forever is about as tone deaf as a take can be.
Verlander and Fox Sports are yet to post an apology or clarification on the take, something many fans have been asking for.
