The digital edition of Sports Illustrated (US) has published a pointed commentary on pitcher Shohei Ohtani, arguing that “the time has come to end his career as a pitcher.” Ohtani hasn’t taken the mound since July 3, sidelined by soreness in his left knee and right biceps. This season he posted a sharp 8-2 record with a 1.79 ERA over 14 starts, but in the 49 games since going down he has hit just .259 with an .860 OPS — a steep drop from the 1.000-plus OPS he sustained in each of the previous three seasons. On the 5ch [Japan’s largest anonymous forum, successor to 2channel] thread on the “Geinou Sports Sokuho+” board, posters split between those conceding “the limits of the two-way player” and those reluctant to give up watching him pitch, with the debate spreading to gripes about him not playing the field and whether his production still justifies his salary.
Is it worth sacrificing his hitting power just to keep pitching? On the 15th (the 16th in Japan), the venerable US outlet Sports Illustrated’s digital platform “ON SI” ran a scathing commentary on pitcher Shohei Ohtani (32), declaring flatly that “the time has come to definitively end his career as a pitcher.” Writer Ryan Phillips argued that “it’s time for him to retire from pitching and focus on hitting,” going so far as to say, “I never want to see him on a mound again.”
Ohtani went on the injured list (IL) with a sore left knee and right biceps and hasn’t pitched since July 3 (July 4 in Japan). This season he’s gone 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA and 95 strikeouts over 85 2/3 innings across 14 starts. Even so, the magazine takes issue with the physical toll of the process of working his way back onto the mound.
Since that date, as a hitter he has batted .259 with 12 home runs, 30 RBIs and an .860 OPS over 49 games. Given that his OPS topped 1.000 in each of the previous three seasons, the magazine argues that “now that he’s 32, the cost of the two-way experiment has started spilling over into his hitting as well.”
Source: tokyo-sports.co.jp / Original article here
Using both is bound to catch up with you eventually.
Exactly this!
So true.
At 32, recovery just can't keep up with the fatigue anymore.
His elbow's already wrecked though.
What made it special was that same Ohtani also putting up numbers as a hitter.
'Focus on hitting' doesn't just mean DH duty, right?
Yeah, once he stops playing defense his reputation might take a hit too.
Whatever anyone says at this point just sounds like sour grapes.
Honestly most of that salary talk is inflated.
Baseball ('yakyu') puffs up every single number.
If he wants to pitch that badly, go do it in a beer-league game.
If he rests properly in the offseason he should still be fine.
Even in your 20s this normally wouldn't be doable.
Honestly, the real story is that he pulled it off this long at all.
If he has to lean one way, it should be hitting.
1. Soccer
2. Cricket
3. Hockey / Ice Hockey
4. Tennis
5. Volleyball / Beach Volleyball
6. Table Tennis
7. Basketball
8. Rugby
9. Boxing
10. Horse Racing / Equestrian
https://news.livedoor.com/article/detail/25705077/
Baseball ('yakyu') is so unpopular it doesn't even crack the list lol
Lol, literally every player does that.
Guys who play the field full-time actually carry a heavier workload —
catchers especially.
Just look at his innings pitched and quality starts, that's plenty.
Even normal pitchers rarely hit the qualifying threshold anyway.
Catchers basically rotate in and out for rest too.
bat sixth as a gap-power hitter
and pitch as a middle reliever.
Ninth in the order at first base as a hitter, and a ninth-inning-only closer as a pitcher — wouldn't that work?
Background and Talking Points
Since returning to game action in 2018, Ohtani has continued his unprecedented two-way workload, but as a pitcher he has already undergone elbow surgery twice, and this latest absence is likewise attributed to trouble in his left knee and right biceps. Debate over the merits of the two-way role has flared up repeatedly before, but what’s new here is that a major US magazine has explicitly called for him to “retire from pitching.” The thread discussion went beyond questions about continuing as a two-way player, extending to frustration over his continued use as a designated hitter [DH — a batting-only role with no fielding] rather than a fielder, and to questions about whether his output still justifies his salary, broadening the debate well past his performance on the mound alone. Note that the stats and injury details in this article are based on US media reporting, and any decisions on his future usage will depend on announcements from the team.
*This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Geinou Sports Sokuho+) thread “[Dodgers] Ohtani Advised to “Retire from Pitching” as Two-Way Role Risks “Mutual Collapse,” Time to Focus on Hitting = US Report.”
