For the time being, Shohei Ohtani the hitter is ahead of Shohei Ohtani the pitcher — this according to Ohtani himself.
After making his spring training debut as a batter on Monday against the San Diego Padres, the Los Angeles Angels two-way star spoke on his performance.
“I was able to see a lot of pitches, and that was really good,” said Ohtani, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN. “I just want to keep it going. I’m seeing the ball pretty well right now. Hopefully, I can have better at-bats.
“I think this goes for almost every player, but my hitting is always ahead of my pitching at this point in the year,” he continued. “It’s just like any other year.”
In three plate appearances on Monday, the 23-year-old Ohtani walked twice and had an RBI single in what was an impressive debut as a designated hitter. His first outing as a starter on Saturday was much more mixed, so the eye test seems to back up the Japanese phenom’s assertions as well, at least for now.
