For Major League Baseball fans, August 24, 2023, was a rather depressing day. Shohei Ohtani (29, Los Angeles Angels), who was making modern baseball history by pitching and hitting, tore a ligament in his elbow.
Ohtani, who started Game 1 of the doubleheader against Cincinnati, struggled with his velocity early in the game and eventually gestured toward the dugout during the second inning. After consulting with the coaching staff, Ohtani left the mound and was eventually diagnosed with elbow ligament damage in a postgame examination. The Angels immediately announced, “Ohtani will not pitch for the remainder of the season.”
Ohtani had previously undergone elbow surgery in 2018, shortly after breaking into the major leagues. Five years later, a problem with his elbow ligaments was discovered again. While the Angels have refrained from commenting on the specifics, it is widely believed in the local media that the damage is different from the first surgery, meaning a second surgery is inevitable.
However, Ohtani has continued to play. On the 24th, the day of his immediate injury, he was still batting in game two of the doubleheader. Ohtani throws with his right hand but hits with his left, so his right elbow injury doesn’t interfere too much with his hitting. Even after his injury, Ohtani has continued to contribute to the team as a hitter. Although his season as a pitcher is over, he continues to rack up the numbers as a hitter.
Ohtani’s batting performance this year is the best he’s had since entering the major leagues. As of Sept. 1, he is batting .307 with 44 home runs, 95 RBIs, 19 doubles, and an OPS of 1,071 in 132 games this season. He’s on pace to surpass the 46 home runs, 100 RBI, and .964 OPS he posted in 2021, when he was the American League’s unanimous MVP.
In his last seven games, before and after his elbow injury, he’s batting .333 with a .471 on-base percentage and .556 slugging percentage. The only thing missing is a home run. However, it has been pointed out that Ohtani’s playing time is “pointless” for him personally. It”s argued that he doesn”t benefit from playing more.
First, the team’s chances of making the postseason took a major hit. Up until the end of July, the Angels’ postseason chances were still very much alive, which led to the Angels making several moves at the trade deadline. Since then, however, the Angels have struggled and are 64-70 (.478) as of Day 1.
They are 12.5 games out of first place Seattle. An upset is virtually impossible. They are also 11.5 games back in the wild card race. Given the number of games remaining (28), even a 20+ win season is not a guarantee of an upset. Recognizing this, the Angels recently waived several players, including Lucas Giolito. The club has effectively given up on the postseason.
Ohtani could end his season here and still win his second career MVP. According to Baseball-Reference, Ohtani’s Wins Above Replacement (WAR) is 10.0 for both pitching and hitting. That’s unrivaled in the league. On top of that, Ohtani is eligible for free agency after this season. If the team was in a postseason race, it would be natural for the bat to help out, but that’s not the case right now. It’s time to think about his own well-being.토스카지노
It’s not financially feasible for him to continue playing. Ohtani has remained tight-lipped about whether or not he will have elbow surgery. He has never publicly expressed his thoughts. However, if he wants to continue playing both pitching and hitting, he’ll have to have elbow surgery. Even if he only plays as a hitter, he needs it to throw a pitch. His value as a designated hitter would naturally decrease.
If he has the surgery after the season, he won’t be ready for the start of next year. Even if he could play as a designated hitter, it would take about four months of rehabilitation. In fact, Ohtani had elbow surgery in 2018 and didn’t return in time for the start of 2019. If he had the surgery now, he could still pitch in 2025, but if he had it after the season, it would delay his return. That’s not going to help him in free agency. The sooner he has the surgery, the better. With a long-term contract of 10 years or more, it could be a difference of tens of millions of dollars in total.
Nevertheless, Ohtani is playing through it. While there’s nothing wrong with undergoing the surgery since it’s unlikely he’ll stay with the Angels anyway, he’s diminishing his value in order to stay with the team until the end. The local speculation is that Ohtani will call it quits when the Angels’ postseason chances are mathematically gone, and then we’ll see what happens next.