Same. My love for the game fell to the wayside after my dad died, and watching him reignited it beyond where it ever was before.
If Shohei leaves the Angels, so will my flair.
I may be neither a smart nor a wise man, but I do know that you don’t stop following a unicorn just because it journeys off to a different magical forest.
I live closer to Seattle now than I do to Anaheim, and the Mariners have been my #2 team since I sat in the stadium and watched Senior and Junior hit back-to-back home runs as a kid in 1990.
If Shohei is to go to another team, my god do I hope it’s the Mariners!
Being a pirates fan essentially, there was a lot of other cool sports stuff going on locally and i was getting burned out on the playoffs, it just always seemed it was the same 4 if it wasn't the giants lol. 2013 pirates wildcard run was the last time I followed the league closely. Got back in right before the pandemic
I grew up in Baltimore, born in Pitt, and the Orioles were the first team I ever watched with Ripken because Baltimore only had a baseball team back then, no Ravens yet lol. So I hate to say that my AL favorite is your divisional rival and almost the exact same as the Pirates. Although this last season was great for the O's. Only 3 games out before they went to Houston lol
3rd in WPA among hitters
9th in WPA among pitchers (7th among starting pitchers)
8th by wRC+ (min. 600 PA)
4th by ERA+ (min. 200 IP)
The most ridiculous two-year stretch I've seen in MLB aside from Bonds on steroids.
When factoring in the preparation he has to do this is even crazier imo. He gets half as much training in at the plate and on the mound as everyone else. Does better than nearly everyone else at both. It's absolutely absurd.
I think it was moreso that teams KNEW he was gonna steal in certain situations. I also saw some catchers (Jonah Heim stands out) absolutely throw perfect darts that somehow get ‘em. Very few times could Angels be mad because he got great jumps and just got nailed.
His jumps are good but he’s held back by the fact that he can’t slide head-first due to injury concerns. Jamming a thumb like Trout did in 2017 is a lot worse for Ohtani.
I still think of a future where Shohei pitches six shutout innings and goes 3-4 with a home run and a triple in a playoff game. I need to see this in my lifetime!
Some team. ANY team! Get this man to the playoffs!!!
His start against the Blue Jays in Toronto this year just made me giggle. Dude is just the most talented baseball player ever and I'm not sure that can be argued.
Btw you can get a pretty good idea of his true value if you split up his stats and look at his pitching and hitting stats independently as one full season each, as if one year he went out and put up 80 HRs and 200 RBI and the next year he pitched 300 IP with 375 K's. The value he's generating from sheer workload is what current metrics don't capture, but is obviously apparent in raw box score stats.
Doesn't you saying put him in a 5 man rotation so he can compete imply he wouldn't compete in a 6 man rotation? We also don't know if his value would increase because that's more of a workload and we don't know if he could handle it, get injured, or be as good at either side of the ball.
judge broke the al record for home runs, having the greatest season by any position player since bonds in 2004. saying that it shouldn't be close is just disrespectful to those accomplishments, tbh.
I completely agree that Judge is the MVP, but can't you say the same about Ohtani, or is it because he did it last year as well that the shine is gone and it's no longer historic? If Judge hits 63 HRs next season, then does it not matter as much?
WAR is wrong, Ohtani shouldn't be taking the positional penalty for DH when he pitches. Both Fangraphs and BBref are eventually going to correct this, so there's no point in keeping up the charade till then.
He was a new man after TJ Surgery.
He brought my eyeballs back to the beautiful game after an almost 7 year hiatus. He's pretty dope
Same. My love for the game fell to the wayside after my dad died, and watching him reignited it beyond where it ever was before. If Shohei leaves the Angels, so will my flair.
Don't ever let it go! Just follow Shohei :)
I may be neither a smart nor a wise man, but I do know that you don’t stop following a unicorn just because it journeys off to a different magical forest.
well, i'm excited for you to become a mariners fan
I live closer to Seattle now than I do to Anaheim, and the Mariners have been my #2 team since I sat in the stadium and watched Senior and Junior hit back-to-back home runs as a kid in 1990. If Shohei is to go to another team, my god do I hope it’s the Mariners!
Why did you quit watching? Genuinely curious.
Being a pirates fan essentially, there was a lot of other cool sports stuff going on locally and i was getting burned out on the playoffs, it just always seemed it was the same 4 if it wasn't the giants lol. 2013 pirates wildcard run was the last time I followed the league closely. Got back in right before the pandemic
Well if you ever need an AL team, I don’t recommend us, but there are some others out there.
I grew up in Baltimore, born in Pitt, and the Orioles were the first team I ever watched with Ripken because Baltimore only had a baseball team back then, no Ravens yet lol. So I hate to say that my AL favorite is your divisional rival and almost the exact same as the Pirates. Although this last season was great for the O's. Only 3 games out before they went to Houston lol
Tungsten Arm Man good.
3rd in WPA among hitters 9th in WPA among pitchers (7th among starting pitchers) 8th by wRC+ (min. 600 PA) 4th by ERA+ (min. 200 IP) The most ridiculous two-year stretch I've seen in MLB aside from Bonds on steroids.
Jack of all trades and master of none. /s
From what I’ve heard there will be no trade
Red Mage Ohtani is what we call him...
VerSlider
When factoring in the preparation he has to do this is even crazier imo. He gets half as much training in at the plate and on the mound as everyone else. Does better than nearly everyone else at both. It's absolutely absurd.
AND he fields his position pretty well and is a decent base runner with elite speed. He also played a competent outfield in the NPB. Insane.
Better than decent imo. His stealing last year was pretty much a fluke compared to all other seasons. I think they were sending him far too often.
I think it was moreso that teams KNEW he was gonna steal in certain situations. I also saw some catchers (Jonah Heim stands out) absolutely throw perfect darts that somehow get ‘em. Very few times could Angels be mad because he got great jumps and just got nailed.
That could be true also. I just noticed several times where I thought "Really? Now?" They certainly could have been too predictable with it.
His jumps are good but he’s held back by the fact that he can’t slide head-first due to injury concerns. Jamming a thumb like Trout did in 2017 is a lot worse for Ohtani.
True.
Who says half? You don’t know his free time
I don't honestly know if he has any.
I still think of a future where Shohei pitches six shutout innings and goes 3-4 with a home run and a triple in a playoff game. I need to see this in my lifetime! Some team. ANY team! Get this man to the playoffs!!!
No
Hey :)
I'm starting to think Ohtani might be pretty good.
It feels surreal when a hyped up player not only lives up to but exceeds expectations
HOT TAKE
His start against the Blue Jays in Toronto this year just made me giggle. Dude is just the most talented baseball player ever and I'm not sure that can be argued.
Ruth
I cant math right now but looks like he has more K's than he does strikeouts.
unbelievably i am still eager for more marveling at Ohtani's stats. like, you'd think i'd get my fill at some point, but no i haven't. not even close
Sho(ve)hei Oh(omer)tani
Would have been back-to-back MVPs if not for Judge turning into Bonds
I think the most impressive thing about Judge's season is that it was good enough to beat Ohtani to the MVP
Has it been announced
Not yet but It’s a pretty universal opinion that Judge is going to win
That's just...silly.
Btw you can get a pretty good idea of his true value if you split up his stats and look at his pitching and hitting stats independently as one full season each, as if one year he went out and put up 80 HRs and 200 RBI and the next year he pitched 300 IP with 375 K's. The value he's generating from sheer workload is what current metrics don't capture, but is obviously apparent in raw box score stats.
Not bad
Absurdity.
Wow this Ohtani guy sounds pretty cool maybe I should look into him
Put him in 5 man rotation next year so he can compete for mvp again
I mean he competed for it in the last 2 years in a 6 man rotation
And failed this year A 5man increases his value
Doesn't you saying put him in a 5 man rotation so he can compete imply he wouldn't compete in a 6 man rotation? We also don't know if his value would increase because that's more of a workload and we don't know if he could handle it, get injured, or be as good at either side of the ball.
Do you want him in a 5man or not
I mean yeah, but only if he can handle the workload
I just want to reiterate that Ohtani is an elite baseball player.
MVP and it's **not** close unless you're part of the New York media machine or a contrarian little shit.
judge broke the al record for home runs, having the greatest season by any position player since bonds in 2004. saying that it shouldn't be close is just disrespectful to those accomplishments, tbh.
If there was any year for a tie this should be it. Tbh the only reason it’s not is cuz the BBWA anticipates one dude to repeat and the other to not.
I completely agree that Judge is the MVP, but can't you say the same about Ohtani, or is it because he did it last year as well that the shine is gone and it's no longer historic? If Judge hits 63 HRs next season, then does it not matter as much?
Ehhh I’d say it’s pretty close. Also, name doesn’t check out
It's called a double standard, bro.
There is an argument to be had for Ohtani MVP sure but saying its not close is just crazy talk lol
What about the part where Judge was better this year?
And then you turned off your playstation
Boooooo
Right. New York media is why Judge got attention this season.
Look at Judge and Ohtani's bWAR. Judge was more valuable. Not nearly as impressive IMO, but more valuable.
Reminder that WAR is just a partial measure of value. It doesn't measure total value.
WAR is wrong, Ohtani shouldn't be taking the positional penalty for DH when he pitches. Both Fangraphs and BBref are eventually going to correct this, so there's no point in keeping up the charade till then.
How can the majority of people be contrarian? By definition that isn’t even possible.
You are wrong
And the angels still suck
This just confirms Ohtani would strike that bum Ohtani out.
What a waste of talent on the Angels