Shohei Ohtani returns to the mound with something to prove: Can he still be a two-way superstar?

New York Times

4 hours ago

Cramped inside his luxury suite at Angels Stadium after inviting in a throng of reporters, Nez Balelo, the agent for Shohei Ohtani, spoke with the panicked confidence of a man praying everything he said about his then-pending-free-agent-client was true.
This was Sept. 4, 2023 — twelve days after Ohtani threw his last big league pitch on Aug. 23, and nearly 21 months before he'd throw another.
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He pleaded with the media, there to ask about the injured superstar. 'He's going to be fine,' Balelo said, without the question even being asked. 'Make sure you share that. Make sure you get that out.'
All these months later, it's time to find out just how prophetic Balelo's words will be. The day has finally come, as Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced on Sunday that Ohtani will start, as a pitcher, on Monday at home against the division-rival Padres.
In the nearly two years since that moment, Ohtani signed a $700 million contract, won a World Series and took home his third MVP. So, yes, as Balelo said, Ohtani is doing just fine.
But for Ohtani, fine is measured on a different scale. What the agent was talking about then, and what has been an underlying uncomfortable question since, is what Ohtani's return as a pitcher will actually look like. Whether he can match the two-way prowess that shot him into global superstardom. If he can once again be a truly great starter.
This was Ohtani's second shoulder surgery, and his 31st birthday looms in less than three weeks. The Dodgers know they have one of the game's all-time power hitters atop their lineup, who doubles as an international sensation that brings adoring fans and sponsors to enrich their franchise financially.
But his future as a pitcher, and thus as a unicorn two-way superstar hangs in the balance right now.
When healthy, Ohtani's proven to one of the game's best pitchers. His career 3.01 ERA, 142 ERA+, 1.082 WHIP and 11.4 strikeouts per nine innings are irrefutable evidence of that. He has a fastball that sits above 94 miles per hour, and can regularly eclipse 100 on the radar gun. His arsenal includes numerous options — a sweeper, cutter, splitter, sinker and curveball all available to him at any time.
Pitching isn't just an addition to Ohtani's game, it's a co-equal element that defines his greatness.
If Ohtani's injury proved anything, though, it's that even the most invincible of athletes are not immune to ailments or their debilitating consequences. Father Time is undefeated, but the Dodgers and Ohtani's right arm pray he can still be staved off for the next eight and a half seasons.
When the Dodgers signed Ohtani, the $700 million commitment came with an implied expectation he'd contribute on both the mound and at the plate. That need has only escalated this season, as Los Angeles has a roster full of starting pitchers on the injured list.
Tyler Glasnow hasn't pitched since April 28, and won't be eligible to return for a few weeks. Blake Snell, out since April 6, only recently started throwing bullpens. Roki Sasaki is out indefinitely. Same with Tony Gonsolin, Gavin Stone and a host of other pitchers.
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Ohtani initially wasn't planning to pitch again until later this season — the belief had broadly been that his return would come after the All-Star break, as the Dodgers aired on the side of extreme caution with an eye toward the postseason. He came back quicker than expected, because that's what he wanted. With his return comes the weight of a beleaguered rotation on his shoulders.
'The live, simulated, or whatever, sort of ran its course,' Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters on Sunday. '… A week ago, we were talking about another live (batting practice). But the conversations, the confidence that he has, it's time to go.'
It's easy to look at Ohtani with a mythical gaze, and let what makes him special capture your imagination. That's the type of aura he's always had while playing this game. The adjectives that describe him are universally positive, and for good reason.
But for the last two years, he could not be described as a two-way player. And as of right now, he isn't a two-way player. He's been an elite designated hitter, with a speed element that sets him apart from even Hall of Fame-level performers like David Ortiz and Edgar Martinez. He remains special. But even through that lens, special is not once-in-a-lifetime, that mix of excellence in all facets of the game that nobody in a century has matched.
For all that Ohtani has accomplished, he still has something left to prove. That he can earn back that desired title. It's an identity he's held before, and those that know him, understand just how important it is for him to keep it. The talking heads who say he should pick one or the other fundamentally don't understand Ohtani's makeup. Attaining that status once again will require more than just one or two good starts — it needs to be sustained over the long term. We'd be saying that about any player that's his age with his injury history. His unicorn status doesn't make him exempt from that requirement.
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'I'm just telling you right now that Shohei — There's not a question in his mind that he's going to come back and he's going to continue to do both,' Balelo said that day.
That has proven true. He is doing both once again. The more important matter at hand, however, is how good and durable he can be over the many, many years he still has left to play.