The Strength of Shohei
Shohei Ohtani is a god among mere mortals. If there was a best season in the history of MLB award, Shohei would win that award in 2022. I am aware that there is Shohei Ohtani fatigue seeping throughout the media and the fans alike; however, I would advise that instead of finding fault within his organization, you find joy in the journey of a two-way player we have never seen before and will likely never see again.
Shohei just finished 4th in the Cy Young award (should’ve finished higher but a Houston Astros beat writer didn’t put him in his top 5 for some inexplicable reason) while hitting 34 homeruns and knocking in 95. He had an OPS of .875. He threw 166 innings and struck out 219. His era was 2.33 and he won 15 games on the ANGELS. Let me repeat, he won 15 games while pitching for a team that only won 73. I defy anyone to find someone, just one person in the history of MLB that can mirror these stats in the same season. Spoiler alert: You can’t.
People talk about individual performances all the time and try to find historical comps but you will never find a comparison for Shohei Ohtani’s 2022 season. This was the greatest season ever by an individual not only in MLB but in any other sport. Tiger Woods, Wayne Gretzky, Michael Jordan, Serena Williams, Michael Phelps, Bo Jackson, etc. It doesn’t matter who you choose, they all fall short of Shohei. It would be as if Patrick Mahomes put up top 3 numbers at QB and in the same year also led the league in tackles and interceptions. If he did that, they would be chiseling his face on Mt. Rushmore as we speak. Shohei does it in 2022 and all the haters can say is: “How many playoff wins did the Angels have?”
Really? That’s your takeaway? If Shohei is so good, why didn’t the Angels win more games? It’s amazing that we use a team’s performance in baseball when analyzing a single individual’s greatness. Let me ask you: How great would Michael Jordan be if all 10 players on his team had to take eight shots and only eight shots a game including him? Jordan gets two shots a quarter. Let’s say he makes 7/8 shots and scores 14-18 points. His teammates however average 3/8 and the team loses by 20. Wouldn’t people point to Jordan’s greatness and say, “What else could he have done? Afterall, he missed only ONE SHOT?”
I ask you, what else could Shohei have done to elevate the Angels? Hit more than 34 homeruns…would that have done it? Pitched better than a 2.33 era while striking out 219 batters in 166 innings…would that have done it? Stole more than 10 bases…would that have done it? This guy is a freak of nature and many are just shrugging their shoulders while glorifying (and interrupting other TV programs for two weeks) for another player who solely hit more homeruns. It’s a strange phenomenon that confuses me every time I think about it.
I beg of you…stop what you’re doing and really think about the performance Shohei Ohtani had this year (and last) and smile knowing you were able to be alive and tell your grandkids about him someday.
Submitted by Jon Hendrickson