We’ve now gotten our first looks at Japanese player Shoei Ohtani. The two-way star got his first start on the mound Saturday and was in the lineup as the DH on Monday. His start was less than impressive but showed signs of light. He was scheduled for two innings but only made it through one and third after his pitch count started to climb. His fastball hit 97 mph and his breaking stuff looked absolutely nasty at times. The Brewer’s Keon Broxton took Ohtani deep with a bomb over the left field fence off a fastball that caught too much of the plate. Ohtani gave up two hits, two walks and struck out two. We shouldn’t read too much into this start because we all know that pitchers use spring training to get their stuff right and this definitely wasn’t Ohtani at his best, but he showed glimpses of great stuff. Look for him to continue working on his control as spring continues. In contrast, Ohtani’s bat didn’t seem to have any rust on it. He showed a sweet left handed swing and great plate discipline, going 1-1 with an RBI single and two walks in three plate appearances. Ohtani said post game that he was focused on seeing a lot of pitches to figure out the differences in strike zones between Japan and the US. He also said that his bat is normally ahead of his pitching this time of year and is looking forward to his next start, which will most likely be Friday. The Angels expect Shoei to make more of an impact from the mound this season but he showed on Monday that he will be a difference maker at the plate as well. One thing is for sure, he will continue to be one of the most intriguing stories of this season as he looks to become the first true two way contributor since Babe Ruth.
