The Major League Baseball break is over and fans are already beginning to savor the return of the King of Sports with Spring Training and Opening Day just around the corner, when the champion team Los Angeles Dodgers will face the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo on March 18 and 19.
The opening game will also feature two of the players who are set to star this season, in a duel that could go further, according to an analysis highlighted by Essentially Sports, with a real competition for Japanese star Shohei Ohtani to repeat as the National League Most Valuable Player.
Some MLB experts seem to dismiss the fact that this year we will finally see Ohtani as the two-way phenomenon in a Dodgers uniform, as it is presumed that he could pitch again from May. However, in an article for ESPN, specialist Alden Gonzalez highlights Kyler Tucker as the one he is most excited about among the players who changed teams.
“Still don’t think enough people realize how good he is,” Gonzalez said of how motivated the outfielder might be to prove he can aspire to a big contract in the upcoming free agency, after his move from the Astros to the Cubs, while giving a risky prediction that Dodgers and Ohtanifans will not like: “Tucker might be my pick for National League Most Valuable Player.”
Ohtani aims for May return to pitching
Ohtani’s second season with the Dodgers officially began this week with Spring Training, and with the Japanese ready to compete again to win the World Series, this time he could be incorporated into the rotation.
“I’ve been able to train every day and I’m really looking forward to getting ready in time for spring training and the season,” Ohtani said in early February during DodgerFest, although he stressed that he must carry out his rehabilitation as scheduled: “Shoulder surgery is a complicated surgery compared to the elbow… I had to work on the range of motion. There is some residual effect on the labrum.”
Although he is expected to return to the mound in May, the two-way star confessed that he cannot pinpoint exactly when he will return, but will know more once he holds his first bullpen session.
“I think we’ll really have a better idea of when I can be on a major league mound,” Ohtani said.
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