Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Shohei Ohtani has proven that he can do it all. He can pitch, hit, and field at the big league level. Even though his pitching has been amazing, his hitting is what really makes him special. His raw power is something to be admired, especially if he can be consistent with it.
Ohtani stellar in April on the mound and in the batter’s box
Ohtani entered May having hit 8 HRs to start off the season on the HR leaderboard. He also started three games but only managed to pitch 5 complete innings only once. His ERA in April was 3.29 so he was still keeping the Angels in games despite not going deep into them.
Ohtani’s hitting on the other hand was stellar. As I mentioned before, he finished with 8 HRs in April and was batting a respectable .283. So his impact in April was palpable but not the most valuable for the Angels since Mike Trout got off to the hottest start of his career.
Ohtani’s pitching in May sets him apart
In May, Ohtani was the most valuable Angel. Of course, Mike Trout missed a majority of it but it would have been hard to replicate the results the Ohtani achieved. The closest Angel to rival Ohanti was Walsh, who arguably had more success than Ohtani at the plate. But Ohtani really separated himself from Walsh with the contributions he was able to provide on the mound.
Ohtani was able to complete 5 innings or more in 3 of his 4 starts. In fact, he was only one out away from a quality start (5 innings with 3 earned runs or less) in all four of his starts. He had his best start of his career on May 11th when he was able to throw 7 complete innings and allowed only one earned run. He did so by allowing only 1 walk and striking out 10 batters in the process.
Walks still seem to be an issue for Ohtani
Some people might argue that his start on May 11th against the Rays was better as he went 5 innings with 0 runs and 1 hit allowed but he gave up a staggering 6 walks in that start. Walks still seem to haunt Ohtani but hopefully that continues to get better. Ohtani gave up 4 or more walks in 2 starts but gave up less that 3 in the other 2 starts.
So inconsistency still seems to plague Ohtani but he is showing that there are times when he can command the ball in the strike zone. If he can figure that out, he will finish the season as MVP of the American League. Not only that but his pitching is possibly the only reason the Angels will continue to be in the playoff race in 2021.
Walsh a close second for Angels’ Player of the Month
Ohtani finished May with 7 home runs and batting with a .245 AVG which isn’t great but it got the job done especially considering his pitching performances. Walsh finished May batting with a .288 AVG and 7 home runs so he arguable did better at the plate but Walsh did not pitch in 4 games like Ohtani.
