Ohtani, who stole his second base of the season in a 3-2 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers on Friday, opened up about his lack of stolen base attempts.
“I think I still lack the skill part in stealing a base,” said Ohtani through his interpreter, per Alden Gonzalez of ESPN. “So I only try to go when it’s as close to 100 percent, where I think I can be safe, as possible.”
The 24-year-old Los Angeles Angels phenom is now 2-for-2 on stolen base attempts in 38 games so far on the year. That may seem like a bit of a non sequitur considering that he has been heralded for his top-notch speed and has also shown flashes of it when coming out of the batter’s box this season.
Turn on a 96.7 mph fastball inside.
Rip a 106 mph liner into the gap.
Reach a 28.3 ft/sec Sprint Speed.
Race home to 3rd in 11.49 seconds for a 3-run triple.
Just another amazing Shohei Ohtani moment for the @Angels! pic.twitter.com/LVUPefOkKc
— #Statcast (@statcast) April 13, 2018
Now we know that Ohtani is simply being conservative with his stolen base attempts until he starts developing more confidence in his own abilities. Perhaps he learned a lesson from this fellow Los Angeles baseball star.
