Shohei Ohtani is scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery next week, which will mark a disappointing end to what was a very exciting first season in the majors. Though, the Los Angeles Angels phenom is doing his best to not look at it that way.
Ohtani, a rare two-way player, will not be able to pitch in 2019. He will, however, be able to play as designated hitter, and he chose to focus on that when asked this week about his elbow issues.
Shohei Ohtani: "I am disappointed that I’m not going to be able to pitch next season, but I’m trying to take positives out of the negative. Guys that only pitch or hit, they wouldn’t be able to play at all next season, but I have the luxury of being able to play as a hitter."
— Maria I. Guardado (@mi_guardado) September 26, 2018
Ohtani has displayed great power at the plate in his first MLB season, and some have wondered if he should just focus on being a position player going forward. He says he still wants to pitch.
More Ohtani: "It’s been a small sample size of just one season, so I can’t really say that I’ve proved to the world that I can continue being a two-way player. I need to keep on improving each year and hopefully I will be able to prove that I can continue as a two-way player."
— Maria I. Guardado (@mi_guardado) September 26, 2018
Ohtani is hitting .280 with 21 home runs and 57 RBI in 100 games this season. As a starting pitcher, he went 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA and 63 strikeouts in 10 starts. Shortly after he found out he needed Tommy John surgery, he launched some monster home runs and had one of his best games of the season at the plate. His attitude when faced with a less-than-ideal situation has been commendable.
