The Shohei Factor

 

One week into the 2023 MLB season and Shohei Ohtani has 6 hits and 5 allowed hits. 

I...I wish I could make this guy up but I can't. He's that good at baseball, and he's that infuriating to all other teams. And like last year, so far he's pitching better than he's hitting. 1 earned run in 2 2023 starts, 18 strikeouts and a 0.75 ERA. He's also hitting .286 with 6 RBIs, but the pitching might be the real revelation, and might be the real difference-maker. Now that the Angels actually have a decent, consistent rotation behind just Ohtani and Patrick Sandoval [Tyler Anderson's been excellent so far and Reid Detmers has been steady through camp], having an on-par Ohtani might not just be the saving grace, but also the cherry on top.

Look, I was worried when Ohtani had an unreal first start and the Angels still ended up losing, but so far the Angels have been pretty strong, and are tied with the Rangers for first. And so far, refreshingly, it's not the Trout and Ohtani show. Taylor Ward is proving he doesn't just hit well in May 2022, and is hitting .370 with 10 hits and 2 homers. Logan O'Hoppe, as I sort of predicted, is taking the starting catching job and running with it, with 8 RBIs and 2 homers as well as an improved degree of catching.  Gio Urshela is hitting for contact, Hunter Renfroe's hitting for power, Jake Lamb is...not the worst pick for 1st base. So much of this team is clicking and it's making fans excited already.

The goal, though, is not to rely solely on Trout and Ohtani but to have them amplify an already-great team. If they're already pounding the opposing offense, how can having Ohtani in his prime make it even better? If they're already up by a few, what can Ohtani do on the mound to keep them ahead? The Angels have a better team, and a stronger team, and instead of having Ohtani as the only highlights, he can be the guy that sticks his head in and lends a hand when the team's surging. It's a lot healthier of a use of a big star, and I think, even Ohtani does go somewhere else after the season, it's a feeling of belonging he kinda needs, and he hasn't had since Japan.

There are still things that worry me. The back half of the rotation has gotten to the point where even Jose Suarez, who's usually the sixth man that mops up when someone tanks, is tanking. The next logical starter, Tucker Davidson, is being primed for a ninth inning role. The NEXT logical starter, Jhonathan Diaz, isn't on the 40-man. The starting 1st baseman is injured, the starting 3rd baseman is missing games due to getting into it with a fan, the usual starting catcher is injured [but O'Hoppe's got it], and they're still waiting for Griffin Canning to return from an injury from 2 years ago. It's not perfect, but this is a very good start, especially with Ohtani playing as well as he is, and I hope they keep it up. 

Coming Tomorrow- A hard-hitting middle-infielder for the Padres. No, not that one, the other one.