Who is Shohei Ohtani? All you need to know about record breaker in Major League Baseball

Published at :November 3, 2024 at 12:00 PM

Modified at :November 3, 2024 at 12:00 PM

Shohei Ohtani became the first player to reach a “50/50” in one season.

Baseball has just gained a new superhero, and his name is Shohei Ohtani. The athlete from Japan just pulled off something nobody had ever done before. In a game in which his team, the Los Angeles Dodgers, faced the Miami Marlins, Ohtani hit an unbelievable record.

The baseballer from Nippon became the first player ever to reach what they call a “50/50” in one season. He smashed 50 home runs and stealing 50 bases. Now, before that, the best any player could do was Alex Rodriguez with 42 home runs and 42 stolen bases in 1998. Ohtani just carried it to a new level altogether!

Ohtani has not been a one-year wonder at all. He has taken baseball by storm for years. Let’s break everything you need to know about Shohei Ohtani:.

From Japan with a whole lotta talent

Born on July 5, 1994, to Mizusawa in Japan, Ohtani’s fate was perhaps predestined to sports. Ohtani’s mother was a national-level badminton player, and his father was an amateur baseball player. Such a familial background was the bedrock upon which one of the most phenomenal careers in baseball history was built.

At Hanamaki Higashi High School, Ohtani’s talent came to bloom like a rare flower. The ability to pitch and hit at this level made him a sensation in Japan, a country that knows Babe Ruth as the American baseball legend, but its natives never saw something so similar to that as Ohtani.

Dominating in Japan

Ohtani started his professional stint in 2013 with Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in Nippon Professional Baseball. He spent five seasons, proving his high school show was not an incident. A .286 batting average and 48 home runs with 166 RBIs, Ohtani was a scary sight at the plate. With a strikeout tally of 316 and an ERA of roughly 2.52, he also showed off his skills on the mound.

His crowning moment in the NPB was his win in 2016 when he won the Pacific League MVP award and led his team to the Japan Series Championship. These laurels served only to fuel further anticipation for the next move – a leap to the major leagues.

Making waves in Major League Baseball

In December 2017, Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Angels in MLB. On his debut date of March 29, 2018, it was quite clear that Ohtani was no ordinary talented player but a generational talent waiting to reshape the game. His impact was almost immediate and spectacular.

The world hadn’t witnessed a hitting-and-pitching talent at the very top of professional baseball since the games of Babe Ruth nearly a century ago. This kind of dual talent didn’t shatter records; it shattered preconceptions about player specialization in modern baseball.

Highest Baseball contract yet

Shohei Ohtani scored big time with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He signed a whopping $700 million deal for 10 years, making him the highest-paid player in baseball history yet. Even though the Ohtani wasnt able to pitch in 2024 season because of an elbow injury, the Dodgers still wanted him badly because of his rare talent.

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Shohei Ohtani’s Major Awards and Honors

Most Valuable Player (MVP)

American League MVP: 2021, 2023
Players Choice Player of the Year: 2021
Baseball America Major League Player of the Year: 2021, 2023
AP Athlete of the Year: 2021, 2023
Sporting News Athlete of the Year: 2021

Rookie Honors

American League Rookie of the Year: 2018
Baseball America Rookie of the Year: 2018
Sporting News Rookie of the Year: 2018
Topps All-Star Rookie Team: 2018

All-Star Selections

MLB All-Star: 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024

Hitting Awards

Hank Aaron Award: 2023
Silver Slugger Award (Designated Hitter): 2021, 2023
Edgar Martínez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award: 2021, 2022, 2023

Team Awards

Los Angeles Angels Player of the Year: 2021, 2022, 2023
Nick Adenhart Pitcher of the Year Award: 2021, 2022

ESPY Awards

Best Major League Baseball Player: 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
Best Male Athlete: 2022

Monthly and Weekly Honors

American League Player of the Month: 4 times (2021, 2023)
American League Player of the Week: 7 times (2018-2023)

Special Recognition

Commissioner’s Historic Achievement Award: 2021

Career Statistics

Category	2024 Season	Career Total
Wins Above Replacement (WAR)	7.8	42.3
At Bats (AB)	599	3,082
Hits (H)	176	857
Home Runs (HR)	51	222
Batting Average (BA)	.294	.278
Runs (R)	123	551
Runs Batted In (RBI)	120	557
Stolen Bases (SB)	51	137
On-base Percentage (OBP)	.376	.368
Slugging Percentage (SLG)	.629	.570
On-base Plus Slugging (OPS)	1.005	.938
Adjusted On-base Plus Slugging (OPS+)	181	155

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