Popularly known as "Shotime", Shohei Ohtani plays with Los Angeles Angels and can both pitch and hit. Ohtani is often compared to Babe Ruth.
Shohei Ohtani, popularly known for his moniker “Shotime,” hails from Japan. Ohtani is a pitcher, designated hitter, and outfielder with the MLB’s Los Angeles Angels. Ohtani was born in the city of Ōshū in Japan, on July 5, 1994. As a professional, Shohei forayed into Baseball with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in March 2013, at the tender age of 18. He was a pitcher and outfielder for the team from 2013 to 2017. Shohei Ohtani inked a six-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels in December 2017.
Ohtani earned the Rookie of the Year in the American League (AL) in 2018 and American League Most Valuable Player in 2021. MLB Commissioner, Rob Manfred, the MLB commissioner openly applauded Ohtani’s 2021 season as he emerged to become the league’s first two-way player. Shotime is also the first player in MLB history to start an All-Star game as both a pitcher and a hitter.
Read more: Los Angeles Angels vs New York Mets Preview
In 2017, Shohei Ohtani agreed to a six-year contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, capping a week of bidding that involved seven MLB teams: the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels, San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers, and Chicago Cubs. Ohtani made it apparent that he wanted to play as a pitcher and a batter. Often touted as Japan’s Babe Ruth, Ohtani’s bargain-basement pricing made him desirable to all big-league teams, even with the $20 million posting fee. Finally, he signed with the Los Angeles Angels at a lower price, who freed extra international signing money and offered him a $2.3 million package.
On Opening Day against the Oakland Athletics, Ohtani started as the designated hitter and blasted a home run in his first at-bat. Ohtani finished his debut big league season with a.285, .361 on-base percentage, 22 home runs, 61 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases. He became the second-fastest Angels rookie to hit 20 home runs, joining Babe Ruth as the only player in MLB history to make 10 pitching appearances and hit 20 home runs in the same season.
Year | W | L | ERA | G | GS | SV | IP | SO | WHIP |
2022 Regular Season | 4 | 4 | 3.64 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 54.1 | 71 | 1.12 |
Career Regular Season | 17 | 9 | 3.55 | 45 | 45 | 0 | 238.0 | 293 | 1.15 |
Ohtani’s net worth is estimated to be over $14 million. He had a contract of $545 thousand for the 2018 MLB season with the Los Angeles Angels. Ohtani earned $650,000 in the 2019 season, and his contract was raised to $3 million in 2021, and he is on course to earn $5.5 million for the 2022 MLB season. Besides, he makes money from various sponsors and his contracts with the Los Angeles Angels.
Shohei Ohtani has a number of sponsorship deals:
-Hugo Boss
-Asics
-Fanatics
-Panini
-Seiko
-Topps
-Oakley
-Descente
-FTX
-Kowa
-Mitsubishi Bank
-Salesforce