Should The Dodgers Consider Keeping Shohei Ohtani Exclusively Just A Hitter? | 5/7/24 

Y’all must have forgot what an insane pitcher Ohtani is. 11.4 career K/9, (about the same as Glasnow, who is an absolute stud), career ERA over a half run better than Tyler Glasnow and even a .667 winning percentage for a losing team (yes, wins and losses are pretty irrelevant but it shows how he helps keep even a team that couldn’t provide him run support in games…certainly not to the level the Dodgers could). He’s a threat to win the Cy Young any time he pitches a complete season…he was 4th in 2022 and was a contender last year until he had blister and elbow issues. No way does he not pitch, since he’s arguably the ace of the Dodger’s staff when he pitches. It’s not just “added value”…it’s dominance.

The question is - Ohtani ok with NOT being a 2-way player? Think answer is NO

I don’t know if the Dodgers have a 100% say in that, $700 million or not, if Ohtani wants to pitch then he pitches. Pretty sure he has a plan for his legacy, and it includes being an all-around player, an all-around great player.

The reason Ohtani decided to go ahead with second TJS is because he wanted to continue Pitching! If he wouldn’t pitch he could have chose NOT to have the TJS

In regards to Ohtani's contract with $680m of it deferred it's only about a $46m a year contract in present day value so that's not too crazy even if he gave up pitching. Also, one factor that is unique to Ohtani is the sponsorship money he brings in as the dodgers have already signed a number of Japanese sponsors because of him. For other players, their salary is only based on their baseball performance mostly, while Ohtani brings in Japanese sponsorship money to the Dodgers too.

He is not the best player in his team? Y'all tripping. He is no question the best player in Dogers.

Yes he’s a first ballot hall of famer. His name is in the record books like 100 times. Dan is an old fart that can’t wrap his head around it.

I think this is a ridiculous question. He hits when he pitches and he hits when he doesn't pitch. His pitching is ace-level stuff. My suggestion would be to play him both (as he's the only phenom we've seen in this lifetime that CAN do both), and give him an extra day or two a month of rest.

Dumb question, he is going to pitch. He is goint to be first ballot hall of famer, abd he is he is most likely going to be the MVP this year. He is #2 right now with a really slow start.

What is Dan talking about. How is he comparing Mike Trout BA to Othani? Trout was hitting .220 vs Othani .370. Miles apart.

Ohtani has always said, doing both pitching and batting actually made him better. Its remarkable what hes been able to do by just batting while rehabilitating a torn UCL. I want to see him focus just on pitching. Who knows how good he could be if that were to happen. Ohtani's goal when he came statewide was always to be a 2-way player.

He’s always been special--Ohtani just has even more eyes on him now since he’s on the Dodgers. Last year he had a complete shut out in a double header then two HR in the next game--this isn’t anything new.

King of baseball SHOHEI OHTANI

I am confuse on how Mookie betts have better MPV change than Othani? Othani leading in HR, batting average , hit, and SLG in MLB ... I am not try to discredit Mookie here i just want to know.

He might give up pitching in a couple years from now but there is no way he will not pitch as soon as he can. Ohtani loves I do get what people are saying, but that’s not the way the book was written.

I'd love to see him be a closer one day. Him coming out in the WBC to nail the title for Japan and striking out Trout was pretty awesome to see. Would be pretty intimidating for the other team seeing him come out of the dugout to close.

Guy has proven he's elite at both. Then he has a season where he's rehabbing the elbow and just so happens to be putting up the best offensive numbers in the league. Now the media narrative is "shouldn't he just stop the pitching??" Ohtani's the only guy in the history of guys that you could have this asinine type of conversation about.

People forget that part of the $700 mil was for his draw power. People freaking love that guy. Even opposing fans come to see him.

Dan saying “he’s not the best player on his team, Mookie is”. Mookie is great player but he ain’t Ohtani. Even Mookie has said that publicly. Unfortunately, now every MVP voter does it by WAR - and even if your average position player like Mookie is a SS, his WAR will automatically be higher. That said, I do think Ohtani will be the first DH voted as MVP!!

It’ll be Ohtani’s decision. Not the Dodgers. Watching him as a fan is crazy, literally sounds like a shotgun leaving the bat.

Patrick's takes get shittier and shittier. Ohtani and Trout's (abbreviated) season at the plate are not comparable. Ohtani's BA, RISP, HITS, Total bases, OSP+ were all better 🤣

I think Ohtani will eventually transition to being a DH/Outfielder after about 5-7 years of pitching and hitting. Just a guess as I don't see him doing both for 10 years. But I think the Dodgers probably know this and maybe even Ohtani. But then again Ohtani is doing things that are unprecedented all the time so who's to say how long he'll pitch.

I think the fallacy is in continuing to think about the $700 mm contract as solely for on-field performance. The Dodgers are not just paying for the one of the best hitters and best pitchers in baseball, they are paying for someone who instantly expanded the appeal and earning power of the Dodgers brand. He will make them their money back in many ways that aren’t on the field.

His magic was doing both

They say they signed him for his pitching as well. I disagree. They signed him 700 million for his marketability. If he doesn’t need to pitch, the Dodger still gets their money’s worth.

mookie is considered the best player in his own team? da hell?

It also depends on what other pitchers the Dodgers will have on their roster. Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are already locked into the rotation for the long term. They still have a lot of young starting pitchers in Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin, Bobby Miller, Gavin Stone, and Emmet Sheehan. They are also rumored to be the most probable landing spot for Roki Sasaki. And then there's Ohtani. That's 9 names, all of whom are solid starters, future All-Stars, or established aces. The Dodgers suddenly have *a lot* of viable starting pitchers for the long term, but the problem is that there's not a single lefty among them. Once Kershaw inevitably retires, who are they going to get as the LHP in that rotation? A year ago, we would have said it's Julio Urías, but that's obviously not going to happen now. It's conceivable that the Dodgers will have a six-man rotation that includes Glasnow, Yamamoto, Miller, Ohtani, and Sasaki in the near future, which is terrifying. However, what do they do with the rest of their promising pitching talent, and where do they get a reliable LHP?

OHTANI is way better then BETTS......hes a two way player.......and his stats are the TOPS .....dont know what these guys are talking about....

That contract has as much to do with the rights to marketing ohtani merchandise as it does to on field play.

Ohtani was scouted by MLB when he was only 17 year old high schooler because of his pitching talent and 99mph fastball. Ohtani will always be a pitcher first.

Ain't no fun if the homies can't have none

700mil for just hitting is gonna be the norm in like 5 yrs with the way contracts keeps growing.

Your show is awesome.

We all are Witness to greatness! Praying for health and long career. - baseball fan. If healthy, The future 🐐. Now is best and current 🦄!!! #Ohtani is the Best player now in the world and most talented EVER!! No argument should be had. Period.

I think he should stay a full-time hitter and pitch exclusively in the playoffs as needed.

Shohei than:should he give up hitting Shohei now :should he give up pitching Smh

If ohtani wants to pitch, guess what? He is pitching. I say he should focus on hitting this season and next. 2026 he should then start pitching again.

Yes. The last thing Dodger fans don’t want is to see Shohei on the injured list.

Interesting question. If long term durability is a concern, maybe spot duty in relief, limited in pitch count is a possibility. Its really up to Ohtani in my opinion.

Bruh Trout's BA this season is atrocious it's like he's swinging for the fences every AB. He's been on the decline since last year but him hitting .220 this year actually shocked me.

Why is this even a question. Shohei has the power to dictate what he wants to do. If he wants to pitch he’s going to pitch. Dodgers could suggest things but they aren’t going to be able to tell him no. This topic isn’t complicated idk why it’s even a talking point honestly….

upon full recovery...ohtani should return as a closing pitcher...what he did to trout @ WBC was epic...which will allow ohtani to sustain his career...dodgers could also use some quality in their bull-pen...imagine ohtani hitting the go-ahead home-run in the world series...then entering the 9th inning to strike-out the side

Paying him all that money for him to just be a DH is a massive waste of money.

That’s an option in like 4 years when he is aged. But now would be a joke since half of his 700 mil contract is for pitching

I would have him pitching more next yr. Whatever they need to do to get him 30 starts. He’s so good as a pitcher he could win the Cy young. IMO he’s the.l best pitcher in the league. He has elite movement and pitch arsenal and can touch 102 mpg when he needs it. The only reason he hasn’t won is because he doesn’t make enough starts. No hitter no matter how good you are is worth 70 mil per yr. He gets that cuz he does both and if he’s the competitor that I believe he is he will pitch until he physically can’t anymore. Also, as a side note, for those that don’t understand his TJ surgery it’s isn’t what you think. His surgery is more of a reinforment surgery not a reconstructive surgery. His ucl is classified as healthy before his procedure. He had a brace implanted to his ucl and its purpose is to strengthen his ucl. A lot of ppl seem to not understand that and think he’s rehabbing a compete tear. Not even close and when he’s heathy he’s going to have his velocity back and will have more shelf life on his ucl. The Dodgers know this as his surgeon is their team dr. They are not paying him 70 mil for his hitting alone and is expected to be a starting pitcher. Idc what anyone says, Shohei logically is the best pitcher in the league and their isn’t a pitcher you would want over him considering his offense and that he ranks among the best and is potential the best on the mound. elite fast ball and elite movement with all the pitches you can ask for, curve, slider, sweeper, cutter, 102 mph and speed to first like no other.

Nah, let him do both until they can't pitch anymore. Then he can play outfield. And no, his right elbow surgery doesn't affect his hitting, because he bats left-handed. When he tore his elbow with the Angels, he continued to hit in the SAME SEASON.

whether anyone knows it or not, Ohtani is going down the path of a Babe Ruth, but he's going to be forced out of the pitching role, simply because the amount of wear/tear on the elbow is too much, too frequently...this is going to be his 2nd to last Tommy John surgery. because Ohtani's strength is so remarkable, the elbow joint simply won't last long enough for him to play as a pitcher.

That’s a good question. I don’t think they really have a choice but to let him pitch (for now). But I think maybe after about 5 seasons (at the most) Shohei himself might make the decision to just bat. We shall see. Right now as a life long Angelino I’m just enjoying the Sho(hei).

we have not even seen a prime Ohtani as a pitcher yet

They gave him $700M to be a two-way star, no way he gets anywhere near that if teams knew he would only be a DH. Even if deferring the money will help them in terms of the luxury tax, that’s still a ton of money to pay a player who you’re not using to his full potential.

The dodgers would hated even more if this happened.

No - That would violate his contracted wishes. And he is paid 700 m for both

Shohei hitting, closing, and batting 3rd is the best case scenario for him and franchise. Protects his arm and Dodgers' investment, WS/ MVP/Triple crown chances every year. Not enuf rbi chance in 2nd hole.

At this point, I think it's up to Shohei to decide if he wants to do both. Patrick lost me when he tried to compare Trout to the great one, Ohtani. No comparison, Trout is a minor leaguer compared to Shohei.

Ohtani when healthy is Pedro Martinez and Barry Bonds merged into a single human being. It’s insane that you’re considering giving up a Cy Young contending pitcher when it’s such a rare commodity

We want to see showtime Shohei play 2-way.

He so good because he’s a pitcher himself if he stops pitching it will make him get it ruts where he doubts himself but not if he’s a pitcher seeing both sides of the game. If I was him I would add a bunch of padding and use the gian Carlo Stanton helmet so he doesn’t get hit in the head.

For his career to last longer, I hope he gives up pitching and plays the outfield, then switch to first it will prolong his career

Bro.. He is not first in MVP voting because he is only a DH this season (there has never been a DH in history who won the MVP). Thus, he has a big disadvantage when it comes to the MVP discussion. As just a hitter, as of right now, he is clearly the best hitter in the game and team (just number wise), but of course Mookie is an absolute super star as well

Dodgers are paying him 700M not just for his batting and/or pitch, so much are for his marketing values and sponsors.

This is THE SINGLE MOST ignorant question people ask. Of course he isn’t going to stop pitching. It’s as much of a component to his game as anything. He doesn’t even WORK at hitting. He doesn’t do the batting cage and rarely BP. It’s all about working towards pitching better. That’s what keeps him elite. Take pitching away from him and he would not be the hitter he is. This is a Blockhead question and you mark yourself as stupid for asking it.

Yes! Maybe a setup or closer role and maybe a spot starter. Almost all the time he has missed games was because of a pitching injury. His bat is too awesome to miss it for 1/2 a season.

This is a case of people trying to find a way NOT to do something. I guarentee you the Dodgers are not having this conversafion. If anything, I'd have him just pitch. They already have a great offense.

Regardless of what dodger decision nia....but i 1000 sure he want to be 2 way player as long as he can..

The reason why he waited to play in the MLB is because he wanted to be a 2 way player. he is chasing to be the greatest.

Dan sounds like a troll. Ohtanj also fills stadiums and sells jerseys. Full time hitter. Closes during the postseason.

Ohtani is who he is because hes a two way player. Is it risky? Yes. But he didnt blew up in popularity because he was playing it safe.

Good choice Marvin. Ain't No Fun is a really good Snoop track.

Ya'll asuming if he doesn't pitch he will never be injured lol

Disagree on MVP race between Mookie & Shohei. As of right now, they are kinda even, Mookie has the BIG advantage of playing a crucial position, but everyone can see that Shohei is far more superior in hitting. And let's be honest, their stats likely will not be this good by the end of the season, especially for Mookie. Playing SS season long is going to wear him down and he will have some down times. Shohei on the other hand, had a slow start (on his standard). He does not have a defense duty and he typically transforms into monster in summer. I think it is safe to bet that Shohei will lead the MVP conversation starting in June.

The Lakers need Othani I know he doesn’t play basketball but I’m sure he’d help in some way

I dont believe he can do both and stay injury free long term

I 100% want to see him pitching.

According to blah blah blah. Give where the credit is due. TBH is Ohtani wasnt asian, they wouldve talked about Hall of Fame many years ago already. And these pundits keep saying 700 mil doesnt realize how much income he is bringing into MLB and Dodgers from internationally. Its miles miles apart from any other players in MLB. Dodgers are getting paid well over 700 mil worth just on advertisement, licensing, broadcasting rights 😂

How stupid is this proposal lol

This is a combination of ignorance, silly bias and loose opinions. Ohtani had a slow start to the season and a couple of mini-slumps but still leads the NL or MLB generally in several categories, while also stealing nine bases so far. Mookie Betts was asked who would be on his MLB Mt Rushmore greatest ever, and he named Shohei as one of the four. Some MLB commentators have said at this time Ohtani is the best hitter in the game. And Ohtani has also said he feels at his best when he's both pitching and hitting. His pitching is elite. So all this idle chatter is kind of insulting. As for the Hall of Fame, he's already earned his own room there. Cut the nonsense about longevity, which doesn't apply to a player who is unique and quite likely the best overall athlete to ever play the game. He's already earned his own room in the HoF.

I hate to see another Bo Jackson situation. Ohtani is too valuable to not have a career that goes into double digits years. If he has another operation on his elbow because he tries to come back as a pitching ace, then we are back to saying what could have been if he had just concentrated on hitting.

And the Dan Patrick Show should only talk about basketball...

NO...Ohtani will want to continue pitching (as long as hes effective) and doing his offensive thing. If asked, he'll tell Dodgers hell no (give up pitching...as we stand right now). As usual, Danettes come across as not ever competing in organized sports (not understanding a player's psyche)

Yes

That's what they did to babe Ruth, and With the dodgers history of great pitchers, he might have trouble getting back into the rotation.

I believe Shohei has a stipulation in his contract that they cannot keep him from pitching

?? Ohtani is IN right now (Hall)

Let him pitch

A closer they should mske him. Roberts blows arms like fireworks

I would ask ohtani for a loan

They need to spend a billion moar $!!!

i heard shohei, bats with his right and pitches with his left ? is this why the surgery has no impact on his hitting?

Yeah no this would be a terrible idea

ted williams numbers

I’d rather have a batter that’s a scary 60HR, 1-dot OPS guy than a pitcher who throws 150 innings of 3 ERA ball

it's not up to you or any baseball owner-don't be so myopic and so prejudice to doing both- maybe you don't like the idea that he's better than Ruth.

What the fuck is this boomer talking about. He keeps going back to the money. He was paid what the dodgers thought he was worth. And plenty of hall of famers would didn’t win.

I think they should make him the closer instead of full-time pitcher and hitter.

If they wanted just a hitter, that 700 mil should be 400 mil or less. He can’t play a defensive position so that’s way too much for just a DH

NO!

No

This is a dumb take.

You got my CLICK, so I can say that your Show is BORING.

What a stupid topic