Shohei Ohtani has been the sensation in Major League Baseball in recent years because of his exceptional talent for pitching and hitting, with individual recognition since he played for the Los Angeles Angels, but it was not until his arrival to the Los Angeles Dodgers that he managed to taste collective success as he was a key piece for the conquest of the World Series.
Ohtani arrived injured to the Dodgers and during the 2024 season he was only available as a designated hitter and excelled at the plate with offensive production that allowed him to inaugurate the 50-50 club, with 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases, while recovering from Tommy John surgery performed in 2023 that kept him off the mound.
Ohtani is advised to take care of his shoulders
The two-way talent is a dream of the Dodgers to be seen sometime in 2025 on the team and they have it scheduled for May, meanwhile each week has increased the intensity of their bullpen sessions, but the specialist in training pitchers, Dr. Tom House, with experience with Nolan Ryan, Drew Brees and Tom Brady, believes that for his sake, Ohtani should not pitch again
“I hope I’m wrong, but I don’t think his shoulders can handle it,” Dr. House said during his appearance on the podcast ‘Pablo Torre Finds Out, where he added that despite all his qualities, Ohtani is a hitter.
Dr. Tom House stressed that in his view, the value of Ohtani to the Dodgers lies on the field every day, so he doubts that over the years, the Japanese star can withstand the burden of keeping his body with training to hit and pitch.
“It’s a combination of a few things. Mainly, the thresholds within heavy weight training are very good for hitting, but not for pitching,” House told Pablo Torre and added: “His mechanics are very good. His physique is exceptional. But I don’t think his body can do both.”
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