The Los Angeles Angels won the bidding war for Japanese sensation Shohei Ohtani yesterday. The 23 year old two way star makes the Angels one of the most intriguing teams in baseball in 2018.
Of course the question everyone is asking is, where will Ohtani play? Will, we know he will pitch. That is a given. Ohtani sported a career 2.52 ERA and averaged 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings in Japan. Ohtani had 28.5 strikeout rate and a 9.1 walk rate in 85 career appearances. He pitched a career high 160 innings in 2015 going 15-5 with a 2.24 ERA that season.
Offensively, Ohtani has raw power and can hit the ball to all fields. He has an easy, fluid swing and shows good plate discipline. Like most Japanese hitters, he is adept at laying off pitches off the plate and getting favorable hitter counts.
Ohtani has played right field in the past but given the fact that he will pitch every five to six days, he will more than likely DH. It will be interesting to see how Angels manager Mike Scioscia manages his at bats and Albert Pujols at bats. On the days Ohtani starts at DH, Pujols will play first base but given his limited range, the Angels don’t want Pujols playing first as much as he has in the past.
Despite his raw power and plate discipline, Ohtani only averaged 9.8 home runs a season in Japan. His career best was 2016 when he hit 22 home runs and drove in 67 runs.
So, where should you draft Ohtani? Well, that will depend on his designation. ESPN, Yahoo and CBS Sportsline are all scheduled to announce in the coming weeks what Ohtani’s position designation will be. My gut feeling is he will labeled a utility player meaning the days he is pitching, you can start him and the days he is playing in the field, he is eligible for use as well. He will be a pitcher and DH more than likely.
I think Ohtani will go between the second and forth rounds in most leagues. It makes sense because of his potential utility value. People will over draft him but that’s understandable given the intrigue and the overall value Ohtani adds to a line up. That being said, I would also temper my expectations. Ohtani’s ERA will go up pitching in the states and he will face better pitching so his career .286 battling average will dip slightly. He may end up being a .250-.260 hitter in the beginning until he gets acclimated to facing major league pitching.
I will readily admit. I am one of those people who will over draft Ohtani. I like multi-positional value when drafting players. If Ohtani can pitch and play DH, I am willing to take him in the first three rounds. I know it sounds crazy to draft him that early but Ohtani’s stuff as a pitcher is insane. I think he will end up winning 12-18 games and finish with 175-200 strrikeouts as a rookie. I see a lot of Yu Darvish in him as a starter.
Offensively, if I can plug him in at DH three times a week and use him as a bench piece, it will give me roster flexibility. Instead of drafting another bat, I can add another starter or closer to my staff because I don’t need to draft a utility player.
Will Ohtani live up to the hype now that he is state side? Probably not but he is an intriguing player and one that will generate a lot of buzz come draft time. I am looking forward to seeing where he goes in drafts. I have a feeling owners will plan their drafts around him because of his versatility.
Welcome to the United States Shohei. Hopefully you live up to the hype and meet fantasy owners people lofty expectations.