Shohei Ohtani will no longer be wearing red.
It made sense for him to choose the Los Angeles Angels. It was important to have Ohtani in the lineup because the NL didn't have a designated hitter. You didn't want him in the middle of a game.
The Angels were the only option if Ohtani wanted to live in Southern California. There were boxes checked.
The move to Anaheim was puzzling from a baseball standpoint. I think it's a head-scratcher.
The Angels hadn't made the playoffs in four years, and hadn't made the playoffs in back-to-back years. The year was 2009. Their only World Series title was back in 2002.
At that time, the Angels had the best player in baseball.
Mike Trout has been with the team for seven seasons. He had just finished his sixth straight All-Star appearance and was a year removed from his second American League Most Valuable Player Award.
It is possible that the idea of teaming up with Troutlured Ohtani in. Ohtani has been with the team for five years and may be looking for a new home.
Since his debut, Ohtani has done everything for the Angels. He was the American League's rookies of the year that year. He set a record for the most home runs in a single season by a Japanese player. He was the only player in MLB history to have 10 pitching appearances and 20 home runs in a season. Tommy John surgery was performed on him.
Ohtani became the first Japanese born player in MLB history to hit for the cycle.
Ohtani didn't fare well in 2020.
Ohtani didn't in 2020.
He was the first starting pitcher to lead off the game as the designated hitter when he was on the All-Star team. The Home Run Derby was a part of it.
Ohtani was the unanimous choice for the American League Most Valuable Player award.
The Shohei Ohtani rule allows a player to be taken out as the starter but remain in the game as the designated hitter.
It has been an amazing start to Ohtani's MLB career, but there was a lot of uncertainty about whether he would re-sign.
Not winning didn't seem to be a deal-breaker for Trout as he signed his monster 12-year, $430 million extension.
Ohtani is not the same as the other one.
Ohtani could easily be locked down by a winning season in the Angels' next year. They were doing that earlier in the year. At one point in time, the Angels were in first place in the American League West.
The beginning of the losing began. A large amount of it.
Joe Maddon was fired as manager of the Angels after they lost a franchise-record 14 straight games.
On the day of the losing streak, Ohtani was on the mound. He gave up a one-run ball. He went 2 for 4 with a home run.
After it was announced that third baseman Anthony Rendon would have wrist surgery, the Angels found themselves fighting to play.500 ball again.
For the fifth time in MLB history, a team lost a game in which a player knocked in eight runs. I will let you know who that player was.
On the very next day, that same player struck out 13 Royals in eight perfect frames to lead his team to a 34-38 record.
It was Ohtani and the Angels. Someone else could be it.
Ohtani lives in Southern California. He plays for the Angels and learns from Trout.
He has the chance to escape the cycle of mediocre.
Ohtani is a few weeks away from his 28th birthday. He has many years ahead of him. He has accomplished a lot in his life. He needs to experience it with a group of people.
The Angels haven't made the playoffs since he arrived. As of right now, Ohtani will be leaving if that trend continues.
It will be one of the greatest bidding wars in baseball history. Every team with deep pockets should be included in the game. A 50- homer bat at the dish with unhittable stuff on the mound is what someone needs.
Who wouldn't want Ohtani on their team?
Can you imagine him wearing pinstripes?
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