Shohei Ohtani: “Two Consecutive MVPs” and a 10-Year, $500 Million Contract

Last Updated on 07/27/2022 by てんしょく飯

Shohei Ohtani will continue to win the MVP award for the next five years. He may as well change the name of the title to the “Ohtani Award.

Shohei Ohtani (28) of the Angels has been on a roll this season, so much so that even Red Sox slugger J.D. Martinez (34) said this about him. He has hit .259 with 20 home runs. Ohtani has already passed the “10 wins and 10 home runs” mark, which would make him the first player since Babe Ruth to do so.

There is no doubt that his new contract will be the highest of all time.

What kind of play will he show in the second half of the season, which began on July 22? Sportswriter Nachi Tomonari predicts the success of “Otani the Pitcher” as follows.

Nachi Tomonari, a sportswriter, predicts the success of “pitcher Otani” as follows: “This season, his ‘Frisbee Slider,’ which slides from right to left, is his weapon. This is a magic pitch that maximizes the change by throwing it a little more in the third quarter than with the conventional pitching form. The new slider also makes the four-seam and curveball stand out. I think he will continue to win games in the second half of the season using his magic pitch as a weapon.

Major League Baseball critic Ryoichi Fukushima has high hopes that he will win the Cy Young Award for the most wins and become the first Japanese to win the Cy Young Award.

He said, “From now on, they will not play the Braves, who have the best lineup this season, tied for the most runs allowed this season with six, but rather they will play 12 games against the poor hitting Athletics. If he keeps this up, he could win the most games. He also ranks ninth in the league in defensive rating and fifth in strikeouts. A Cy Young Award would be a dream come true.

What about Otani the hitter?

The fact is, the majors have completely switched to a ball that doesn’t fly. In that situation, 20 hits is not bad at all. This year, he has been able to distribute the pace throughout the year based on last year’s experience, such as avoiding pitching in the All-Star game. In the second half of the season, we can expect him to hit more home runs than in the first half.

If he wins the most games and hits 40 home runs, he could become the MVP for the second year in a row. Mr. Tomonari said.

Before the start of the second half, CBS, a major U.S. television network, reported that Ohtani was the MVP of the first half of the season. Otani was voted No. 1 by a full vote. In WAR, an important indicator in the selection process, he was ranked second, just ahead of his rival, Aaron Judge (30) of the Yankees. His chances of accomplishing this feat are increasing.

On the other hand, the team’s form has been slow to improve. The Angels are in fourth place in the A-League West and are out of playoff contention, and there is already a record-high bidding war underway for Ohtani, whose contract expires in 2023.

The new contract is sure to set a new all-time high. The Nationals’ offer of $440 million for 15 years is said to be worth $500 million for 10 years, surpassing the $440 million for 15 years offered to Juan Soto, 23, by the Nationals in July. I personally believe that the Nationals will be able to get the best deal for their evergreen team.

I personally prefer the Yankees because of their evergreen team and financial strength. The Yankees are trying to get Soto, who refused to sign a blockbuster deal with the Nationals, but if they can’t get him, they will shift their focus to Ohtani. However, as long as he is expected to be an ace as well, he must pitch four days out of the middle of the year. The current five-day rotation is superhuman, but Ohtani has made the impossible possible. There is a good chance that he will position this as a new challenge and move to a new team.

Which team will be his opponent? Tomonari mentioned the names of three teams.