Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani Signs New Endorsement Deal

Shohei Ohtani has a list of endorsements that towers over his peers. He added to that list on Monday with one of baseball's top analytics companies.

Rapsodo is a software and hardware manufacturer that offers devices that measure velocity, spin rate, spin direction, spin efficiency, horizontal break, vertical break, release extension, and seam-shifted wake (among other things). The company hopes aligning with a global superstar like Ohtani can broaden its products’ reach into new markets – especially Japan.

Rapsodo's Matt Fowles told J.P. Hoornstra of Dodgers Nation that Ohtani uses the Pro 3.0 model.

“But it even dates back to using Rapsodo since 2018," Fowles said. "We did have a chance to work with Shohei a couple of months ago, had a really good interview with him where he shared his appetite for advancing the way that baseball is played across the world with technology like Rapsodo, and encouraging athletes and coaches across the world to advance play through technology.”

It makes perfect sense that Ohtani would represent a company like Rapsodo. He is always watching film and striving to better himself on the field every chance he gets.

Ohtani explained how he uses the product in a Rapsodo press release:

“Mainly to quantify my growth as a player. For example, to check if I am making the correct hits on my swing, or to help me design a pitch that is difficult to hit. Having the ability to see the data and confirm it connects to my growth as a player.”

Rapsodo is a tool used by youth players and has exploded into the professional ranks for both baseball and softball. How good could Ohtani be if began using the technology earlier in his career?

“I had been using Rapsodo for a few seasons and thought it was such a great tool; I only wished I had started using it earlier. I think to myself, ‘If I had something like this during my Little League years, how much better could I have been now?’”