No, Shohei Ohtani Shouldn't Give Up Pitching
The two-way star is hitting the ball so well right now that some have suggested he abandon the mound forever. They're wrong.
When the Dodgers signed Shohei Ohtani to his record-breaking 10 year, $700 million contract last off-season, they knew he would not be able to pitch this year due to his elbow surgery last fall. There was a sense of, “yeah we’ll only get half the value of what our two-way superstar player is worth on the field in 2024 but it’s still a good deal because he’ll be back on the mound in 2025.” (The fact that the Dodgers are raking in a ton of multi-year sponsorships from Japanese companies now eager to have their logos behind Ohtani’s head when he’s in the batter’s box and when he’s giving post-game interviews is probably paying for his contract anyway, but I digress.)
Ohtani has always been an elite hitter, and the reality that he can put up video game numbers with his bat while also competing as an excellent starting pitcher has always broken everyone’s brain. There has never been a player quite like him. Even Babe Ruth gave up pitching so he could be a full-time outfielder. "I don't think a man can pitch in his regular turn, and play every other game at some other position, and keep that pace year after year," Ruth famously said during the 1918 season. "I can do it this season all right, and not feel it, for I am young and strong and don't mind the work. But I wouldn't guarantee to do it for many seasons."