As Shohei Ohtani begins his second season with the Los Angeles Dodgers, all eyes are on the two-way wonder. After a 2024 season that was illogical and redefined baseball, Ohtani is back on the field—this time with a renewed focus on being both a pitcher and a hitter. But what can we expect from the human miracle in 2025?
Ohtani’s Spring Training Debut Sets the Tone
In his first at-bat of spring training, Ohtani homered into the left-field bullpen at Camelback Ranch in a 6-5 win over the Angels. He also popped up and struck out later in the game, but it was encouraging for more than the box score.
“Regardless of the results, I think the biggest takeaway was being able to go three at-bats without any issues,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. “Physically, I felt really good.”
The homer was off Angels pitcher Yusei Kikuchi, who wasn’t surprised by Ohtani’s power. “He’s fine, after that home run he hit,” Kikuchi said. “He could hit it that far. I’m sure he’s going to be able to put up the same numbers this year.”
But Dodgers manager Dave Roberts isn’t so sure Ohtani will duplicate last season’s numbers. With Ohtani returning to the mound in May, his at-bats—and stolen base attempts—are expected to go way down.
What Can Ohtani Do for an Encore?
Last year, Ohtani did something no one else has: 50/50. Fifty-four home runs. Fifty-nine stolen bases. League leader in runs scored, RBIs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and total bases. All on 731 plate appearances. Plus 76 more in the postseason.
But he can’t repeat those numbers. Or even come close. A player who hits and pitches can’t have the same plate appearances. As Roberts said, “I don’t think he’s going to get the same number of at-bats, plate appearances, given that he’s going to be pitching. I don’t think he’s going to steal as many bases, just appreciating the fact that he does need to pitch and saving his legs.”
But Roberts is confident in Ohtani’s productivity per plate appearance. “I think he can be as productive,” Roberts said. “And I’m sure Shohei is expecting the same thing.”
The Left Shoulder Check-In
Ohtani’s health is the priority, especially his left shoulder which had surgery in November to repair a torn labrum. The injury occurred during a stolen base attempt in Game 2 of the World Series, but Ohtani pitched through the next 3 games with limited success (1-11).
If you see Ohtani moving his shoulder between pitches or at-bats, there’s no reason to worry. “It’s no pain, it’s just to check to make sure it’s okay,” Ohtani said. He said after his final at-bat Friday, “I was late and my shoulder felt great, too. So that was a good test.”
Lessons from 2021
To see how Ohtani will be used in 2025, look back to 2021—the last time he fully did the two-way thing. That year Ohtani made 23 starts and played in 155 games and had 639 plate appearances. If history repeats itself, Ohtani will have about 100 less plate appearances than last year.
“The only thing we have to go by is when he was with the Angels and was doing the two-way thing with them,” Roberts said. But predicting Ohtani’s plate appearances is tricky. “I have no idea how many plate appearances Shohei will have,” Roberts said.
Dodgers’ Superteam Status: Unbeatable or Vulnerable?
By winning the World Series and pushing their payroll to $400 million, the Dodgers are now seen as unbeatable. But are they really?
Stan Kasten, the Dodgers’ president, puts it in perspective: “With everything we’ve done, no one thinks we have more than 25% chance to win the World Series? That means we have 75% chance we won’t.”
Kasten says that’s because of the uniqueness of baseball—a 162 game marathon and a high stakes postseason sprint. Unlike basketball or hockey where one superstar can carry a team, baseball demands depth across the roster and a strong farm system.“That’s why we didn’t want to leave anything on the table,” Kasten said.
Why the Dodgers are acting smart?
Signing Ohtani to a heavily deferred contract and adding almost $1 billion in new money since then might seem crazy to some. But for the Dodgers it’s just business.
“If you know baseball, you won’t complain because what the Dodgers are doing is putting the best team on the field,” outfielder Teoscar Hernández said. “If they can do that, why not?”
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