If his offseason training regimen is any indicator, Shohei Ohtani may be ready to break the MLB single-season home run record in 2020. Yes, even in a shortened season.
Ohtani has packed on a ton of muscle since he joined the Los Angeles Angels, and it appears he has continued to make strength a priority heading into his third MLB season. On Wednesday, Ohtani shared a video on Instagram that showed him deadlifting nearly 500 pounds.
Shohei Ohtani said he’s deadlifting 495 pounds in this video, which, wow. https://t.co/boMqJeOeP2
He’s worked to reshape his body ever since coming to the Angels: https://t.co/FR9Oe2CFY9 pic.twitter.com/4crrrBOFMz
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) June 18, 2020
AL West pitchers should be afraid — very afraid.
Ohtani was unable to pitch last season due to his recovery from Tommy John surgery, but he still made a significant impact as a hitter. The 25-year-old batted .286 with 18 home runs and 62 RBI. It’s a shame that the 2020 season is going to be extremely abbreviated, because we would love to see how much Ohtani could improve upon those power numbers over a full 162 games.
