How Shohei Ohtani Became A Two-Way Superstar | Sports Oddity 

Definitely this year's home run derby

@@deepmarineproductions982 Most insane thing I've ever witnessed in person tbh

@@deepmarineproductions982 That was "definitely" my _least_ "favorite moment". Let's be honest, folks. Good Ol' Shohei choked royally. I suppose some just cannot fathom that he's human after all. Little doubt that Ohtani represents the best the game's, currently, got to offer and one could summon all sorts of alibis to bail out 'our boy' for his less than stellar performance at the All-Star Game theatrical sideshow but I think 'tellin' it like it is' is the true sign of respect for the man's talents and recognition of his still unfulfilled potential.

My favorite moment? When Shohei Ohtani always acts like Shohei Ohtani in what he does. XD

Very true, it's nice to have a superstar representing our sport that doesn't turn out to be a massive piece of shit for once

@@TheDiamondBaseball , exactly

100%!!

Very good guy

It was something I never really thought about before until I was searching this video, but yeah, if you're going to do something like this, it can only be with a manager who is willing to go along with it. I have to applaud Kuriyama for being open to trying the idea out.

you might also want to thank Ohtani's parents for bumping uglies too. without that, well you know...

So true. He was one of the very few who kept faith in this experiment, while all other commentators, players and managers were skeptical about the whole two-way thing. But by now, literally everyone has changed their minds and are praising Ohtani for his historical achievements.

I've been seeing a lot of comments like this about Shohei, and it really does make me happy to see. Ohtani gives me hope about this game

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it! I had a lot of fun researching this video, I knew a bit about NPB before this, but I learned a lot in the process of making this

Thank you! And I am certainly hoping the same, the man deserves the world

Indeed

Understatement

I would kill to have anything I do be described in such a badass way

@@TheDiamondBaseball Ummmmm there's quite a few women who are well versed in two-sword style. In fact, they usually get paid a little more when they offer to show off that style.

@@thescott7539 your mind built different

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!

All true, except for the less payment part. As soon as he hits free agency, that risk could all become worth it - literally and figuratively.

Hanamaki Higashi has really developed a reputation for itself with its baseball program over the years, so it makes sense why MLB teams have been interested in their recent players. Ohtani and Kikuchi faced a difficult and risky decision out of high school, but now that the Tazawa rule has been revoked, I imagine we might start to see more migration of young Japanese players to the United States

@@TheDiamondBaseball There are teams in Japan that are stronger than Hanamaki Higashi High School, but I think that such teams probably have too strong a connection with the Japanese league. Hanamaki Higashi High School and Nippon Ham are not too big teams, so I think they were able to think freely and uniquely. This is just my guess. I hope/wish that young Japanese players will have more opportunities to choose freely without being bound by existing frameworks. It is better to choose failure than spoiled.

@@noname-dk7ri Stronger didnt mean they have outlier super talent. Usually the best team in High School is bunch of very talented player that coachable but not outlier super talent.

Glad you enjoyed the video! If you’re looking for more like it, we’ve got you covered! ru-vid.com/group/PLRisWZNJxQCJIDAikITJRUjbtNYbAw1Sz

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! Really pulling for Ohtani to get his MVP this year and hopefully more in the future

Fact check: true

Shout out indeed

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Thank you, I appreciate all the kind words and I am glad you enjoyed the video!

@@TheDiamondBaseball You're welcome! What are your thoughts on this interview with Jeff Fletcher - beat reporter for the Angels? He thinks it's a lock that Shohei will stay with the Angels! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-JDjYWazFYEY.html

Thanks, appreciate the kind words! I really do enjoy talking with people in the comments (the sane ones at least), and it also helps with my metrics. It's a win-win situation lol

@@TheDiamondBaseballNo problem. I love people like you who have RU-vid talent. You deserve a lot more subs.

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!

Yeah, you see it often with players who come from Korea and Japan as a way to adjust to the much higher velocities in MLB. We're seeing the same thing with Ha Seong Kim at the moment

Thank you so much, will do!

Thanks, I appreciate the support!

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!

ShoTime forever indeed

Thank you! And you should! My parents actually got me an Ohtani Fighters jersey and a matching hat for my birthday this year and they are without a doubt among my favorite things I own now.

Me too.

Perhaps not Nippon-Ham as much as Kuriyama specifically, but you're absolutely right

@@TheDiamondBaseball According to a then Fighters' scout director's interview, Kuriyama is not the person who came up with the two-way idea. In the first two negotiations, between the Ohtani family and the Fighters, Kuriyama was not there, in fact, the negotiators were Fighters' GM and Scout directer. On the second meeting, they found that Ohtani was not able to decide which way he wanted to do. After the second meeting, Fighters printed 23 pages reports for Ohtani, and during the making of the reports, Fighters already got the idea to offer the two-way play to Ohtani. So, Kuriyama's role was crucial, and he may be the person who mentioned the two-way play at the later meeting, but other scouts were already roled an important part in the decision.

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!

Thank you! I'm upset with myself that I didn't catch that Tazawa went from the corporate league until after I posted the video, but I'm glad you enjoyed it!

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!

Yes he does

I was not really an expert on the NPB beforehand, so I had to a couple weeks worth of research on this one to make sure things were fairly accurate

Thank you, glad you're enjoying the videos!

Agreed, was surprised to see only 2.37k subs given the quality of the content.

Thank you! I really appreciate the support!

Thank you!

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!

Fair, it wouldn't be a stretch to say he is a six-tool player, the sixth being pitching lol

These are the kinds of comments I actually love to read. I wish I could say it was a conscious choice, but I was actually unaware of what kind of spacecraft it was - it was just the best photo I found. However, it is cool to learn more about its backstory, so I appreciate the insight!

@@TheDiamondBaseball Ah; I figured that could be the case. Not necessarily surprising though, as the Buran is counterintuitively quite unknown to the public today, despite what you’d sort of expect given how iconic and universally recognizable the US Space Shuttle is, and the fact that… like… there was an entire other competing space shuttle from the US’s arch-enemy! I don’t think the project was exactly shrouded in secrecy; so maybe there was some degree of general public awareness back in the 1980s and early ‘90s that quickly faded away when the Berlin Wall fell and it didn’t go on to be operational. Here are a couple good ~15-minute videos about Buran if you (or anyone else reading this) want to learn a little more about it: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-qSIdbKM4adk.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-XLOCQw5s9Uw.html When the project was abandoned, the Buran vehicles were basically left to decay in neglected warehouses in the former USSR, and have basically been in that same state for decades since. So there are actually quite a few urban explorer folks who have (technically illegally) gotten into those places and taken photos and videos of the decaying (but still existent!) spacecraft. Search “Buran urbex” on RU-vid and you’ll find some of them. Sadly, because of complete neglect for decades, the existing vehicles (of which there are multiple; most in various states of partial construction) haven’t fared so well. The first orbiter, which actually flew, was destroyed in 2002 when its old decaying warehouse suffered a roof collapse. The second orbiter (95-97% complete) still survives to this day; but it’s also in a decaying building, slowly rotting away. Just last year (!) it was vandalized with graffiti. Unfortunate as that is, it’s brought Buran back into the news somewhat and raised hopes that the surviving vehicles may see some actual care: there’s a possibility they might be refurbished given a new home (a climate-controlled one with an actually-maintained roof, lol) at museums in the near future, which would be awesome if it happens. 🙂

Thank you, glad you enjoyed it!

Go Ohtani indeed

40* HR

Thanks, glad you enjoyed it!

Destiny, hard work, and good luck all coming together

I might do one on the 20th game, because that was a wild one

Yeah, this one was a fun one to research, glad you enjoyed it!

Good luck hoping for the Angels to get good pitching lol

@@TheDiamondBaseball can’t remember his name. But whoever pitched tonight was the worst pitcher in angels history! Gave up 8 in the bottom of the 2nd… haha

You did very well with your English.

@@hirameberhardt8643 Thank you for complimenting English ^^ Baseball has a word called yakyu-dou that applies to the martial arts category in the same way as judo and kendo, so it is treated as a traditional sport even though it is a foreign sport. There is no such word in soccer and basketball, which are the same foreign sports. I think it became so popular because it was very compatible with the Japanese ethnicity.

That's a possibility I never really thought of, but its certainly interesting. Giants have a ton of payroll room, top prospects waiting in the wings, and a window that is suddenly wide open. The only problem is that Shohei isn't a free agent for three more years, and I imagine SF will focus their money on locking up Bryant long term and adding a top free agent before then. Hard to imagine that the Angels would trade him before then either.

This. But also, he does know how to speak English - he just chooses not to in public so that he is not misunderstood by the media

The Angels are not much different than any other Major League Team regarding their approach to and (mis)handling of Ohtani . They all treat the dude - a very strong, extremely athletic specimen, at the peak of his powers - as if he were a frail, 90 year old, nursing home patient, on dialysis - relegating him to the bench for nearly the entirety of the game (the only exceptions being those occasions when he's scheduled to take the mound) while permitting him his "daily constitutional" in the form of a few trips to the plate to take his swings then unless he gets on base, it's right back to the shelter/safe haven of the dugout. Pathetic . God forbid he ever be "granted" by the almighty "Analytics" Gurus the opportunity to pitch a complete game or be allowed to experience being a full-fledged baseball player i.e. playing the field and batting along side his teammates over the span of 9 innings or until "the W" is securely in the books.

Part of the reason why he didn't join the Yankees in the first place was because his preference was for a smaller market (and yes, even though they say they are "Los Angeles," the Angels are still in the much smaller market of Anaheim). Idk if this is still his preference, but I would imagine that would hold him back from signing with them.

@@TheDiamondBaseball so angels weren’t the only team who wanted to give him a chance at playing two way? and now he’s too expensive for them to keep

@@BlackJeepConvertible umm.. the angels have enough money that they CONSISTENTLY spend on hitters because of arte moreno’s influence.. the signings started out good but haven’t been as good since however they are committed to paying people who can hit baseballs very well and ohtani is one of them

They don’t have many fans in the stadium though.. they just got a big tv deal which is why they are called the angels

I think it mainly depends on the field, just like here in the US. I do find it weird that that specific field has no grass infield, considering how massive Koshien is in Japanese baseball culture

To my knowledge, they've sent two players total to MLB (Ohtani and Darvish) over the past decade. The Fighters are certainly struggling in recent years, but losing Ohtani alone can't account for that

@@TheDiamondBaseball actually, 3. They sent Kohei Arihara, one of their best starting pitcher to Texas. Also, they sacrificed alot to make Ohtani great only to lose him in his prime so that didn't help...

@@shunaraki4811 Well, it was part of their agreement that they’ll let Shohei go to the big leagues once he feels whenever he wants to.

Ham fighters can pride themselves of “creation” of Ohtani two way player. Maybe they lost their golden cow but they gifted and gained the world.

Well the issue is that they are caught between a rock and a hard place. NPB wants to maintain the level of competition and integrity of Japanese baseball, but they are at a massive disadvantage because of the opportunity that MLB offers the best Japanese players. Unlike MLB, they can't just "make the level higher," because they have a limited player pool to select from in the first place. They are just trying to keep it from getting even more limited, though I will say the Tazawa Rule was a bit harsh and I'm glad they changed their mind on it.

So close!

They aren't forced to play in NPB. They can certainly try their luck internationally before they sign in Japan, but most international leagues are just as strict about adding foreign players to their rosters, and most Japanese high schoolers are not good enough to go straight to the US - Ohtani is a rare case. For most Japanese players, it is not only much easier for them to play in NPB first, it is also a point of pride for these players to contribute to rich history and high level of competition of Japanese baseball.

@@TheDiamondBaseball I mean yes they're not forced in the strict definition of the word, but it is essentially the same thing by giving them no other options if their international careers don't turn out the way they hoped, making them feel like they have to play in the NPB if they want to continue playing after their time with the MLB. Give them incentive to want to play in the NPB before MLB, not recognizing the gap between leagues can hurt them. I agree most high schoolers wouldn't be good enough, which makes this even more odd to me. A player jumping straight to the bigs is rare, so why make up such a rule if the majority of players are going to play in the NPB anyway? I am based my opinions not being familiar with Japanese baseball tho, so take it with a grain of salt. I appreciate your input tho, it makes sense.

Yeah, I don't understand why a ham company would want to own a baseball team in the first place, but there's no way their name would ever sound good lol

You love to see it

I'm not so sure, he originally told MLB teams he'd prefer a smaller market, not sure what his thought's are now

世界の大谷ですから

Shohei was willing to give up one or the other to play for the MLB right after HIgh School. But Fighters fought for him to stay in Japan.