There could not have been a better start to the MLB season for the Los Angeles Dodgers as they went 2-0 by sweeping the Chicago Cubs in the much talked about Tokyo Series, where the star was Shohei Ohtani, who had a great performance with the bat.
During his visit to his home country, he gave the minimum expected spectacle to his compatriots by hitting a home run, getting three hits in eight at-bats, driving in a run and receiving two walks.
Will Ohtani ever return to the mound as a starter?
Ohtani had to undergo Tommy John surgery again in 2023. He was unable to pitch for the entire 2024 season. The first surgery was in 2018.
The problem is that undergoing a second surgery makes recovery more difficult and time-consuming, and pitchers usually do not recover very well
It is very rare for a player to return to his level in these circumstances and even the route is to have fewer interventions in the season and others choose to become relievers or retire from pitching.
Taking this into account, there is an MLB analyst who has made a prediction about the definition of the race for the Japanese pitcher on whether he will return to the mound or not.
An expert gives his opinion and prediction on Ohtani’s return
John Harper of SNY has opined on Ohtani’s future as a pitcher. He has now made the bold prediction that the generational superstar will stop pitching.
“There will come a time when Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers make too much sense not to do it. The Dodgers would probably prefer him right now, but they will bow to their superstar’s desire to pitch again after Tommy John surgery in 2023,” Harper wrote.
“And maybe he’ll succeed as a starter. But if he doesn’t dominate right away and there’s any sense that his pitching is affecting his offense, the pressure will be on him to just hit home runs and steal bases,” he wrote. “The Dodgers, after all, have a full starting rotation without Ohtani, but they need his impact in their lineup to win another championship.”
Throughout his career to date, Ohtani has been a dominant pitcher. He has made 86 starts, with a 38-19 record, 3.01 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 3.5 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 481.2 innings pitched.
While he has been a good pitcher, it is his bat that has given him the renown he has. He has accumulated 226 home runs in his career, as well as 568 RBIs and a .282/.371/.575 slash line.
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