Two-way Japanese star will slot as No. 2 starting pitcher, join Mike Trout and Justin Upton in batting order.
Japanese star Shohei Ohtani has decided to sign with the Los Angeles Angels — so now fantasy owners are free to speculate on how he’ll be used as both a pitcher and a hitter.
We’ve already covered the challenges fantasy leagues face in trying to account for Ohtani’s unique skill set. (And For The Win also examined how some of the major commissioner services are approaching the issue. Meanwhile, the NFBC has Ohtani listed as a pitcher exclusively.)
What we’ll focus on here is how Ohtani, 23, fits on the Angels roster.
Pitching
Veteran Garrett Richards will likely be the Angels‘ No. 1 starter, but he’s far from a sure thing after pitching a total of 62 1/3 innings over the past two seasons due to a torn ligament in his pitching elbow.
Ohtani, who posted a 10-4 record and 1.86 ERA in his last full season in Japan, will be no worse than the team’s No. 2. The biggest question is how the Angels will structure his starts, after Ohtani pitched in a six-man rotation in Japan — as opposed to the MLB standard five-man rotation.
Over five seasons in Japan, his season high in innings was 160 2/3. Will the Angels be wary of overworking him and try to keep him starting every sixth day? Or will they ask him to adapt to the schedule virtually every other MLB starter has?
There appears to be a significant drop-off to the rest of the Angels rotation. Matt Shoemaker has shown flashes in the past but hasn’t been consistent. Tyler Skaggs has struggled to stay healthy. And Parker Bridwell was surprisingly effective in 2017, going 10-3 with a 3.64 ERA (but a 4.88 FIP).
The Angels have to be in the market for another starter this winter, especially if they are considering a six-man rotation.
Hitting
Here’s where things get interesting. On days Ohtani didn’t pitch in Japan, he was in the lineup as a designated hitter — or as an outfielder. Over those five seasons (from age 18 to 22), he put up a.286/.358/.500 slash line.
By comparison, that’s similar to what Chris Taylor, 27, of the Los Angeles Dodgers did last season (288/.354/.496).
That’s a bat that needs to be in the lineup on a regular basis.
However, the Angels already have Justin Upton, Mike Trout and Kole Calhoun as their everyday outfield and Albert Pujols as a full-time designated hitter.
Now Ohtani may not get more than a couple starts per week as a hitter since he’ll likely need a day off before and after he pitches. So it may not be too difficult to give Calhoun a break in right once a week. And Pujols could conceivably play more often at first base, where he made just six appearances last year.
But the reality is, Ohtani may already be a more productive hitter than Pujols is. Pujols did hit 23 homers and drive in 101 runs in 2017, but he did it while posting a.286 on-base percentage and hitting behind the game’s best all-around player in Trout.
With a career-low .672 OPS, Pujols (who will be 38 next season) is more of a liability than an asset on offense.
Ohtani also has outstanding speed. But unfortunately for fantasy owners, he won’t get many opportunities to flaunt it.
In Japan, he stole a total of 13 bases — an average of 2.6 per season. The Angels would be crazy to risk such a valuable asset by asking him to steal bases in addition to everything else.
If you’re wondering about Ohtani possibly serving as the designated hitter himself on days he pitches, that’s a non-starter. If that happened, the Angels would lose the DH for the entire game once Ohtani exited. Of course, he’ll give them a huge advantage when they play on the road in interleague games and both pitchers have to hit.
Won’t it be fun to see Ohtani pitching in Dodger Stadium this season… and hitting fifth?
Possible Angels lineup
RF Kole Calhoun
CF Mike Trout
LF Justin Upton
1B Albert Pujols/C. J. Cron
DH Shohei Ohtani
SS Andrelton Simmons
3B Luis Valbuena
C Martin Maldonado
2B Kaleb Cowart
