Shohei Ohtani signs with the Los Angeles Angels:”The Japanese superstar, who excels both as a pitcher and hitter, has thus decided in favour of an MLB franchise. And will now play there with the former MVP Mike Trout.
Ohtani’s advisor, Nez Balelo of CAA Baseball Agency, announced on Friday morning that Ohtani had decided to switch to the Angels on Friday morning. The 23-year-old is thus playing in the American League, where there is a designated hitter in every game, i. e. an offensive player who is not used defensively.
This will certainly have contributed to the decision, as well as the fact that he is now allowed to play in a team with Mike Trout, the best player in the world for many experts. A few days ago it became known that Ohtani would probably opt for a smaller franchise on the west coast. After that, the Seattle Mariners above all had hoped, but now it’s the Angels.
Why is the change of Ohtani such a big story? After all, superstars from the Japanese league NPB regularly move to the USA to compete with the best players in the world.
However, the young, high-impact right-hander is currently unique in the world. After all, his fastball as a pitcher not only regularly reaches the limit of 100 miles per hour, he is also a dreaded man at the mark who can hit 20 or more home runs in the year. This combination in one player does not exist at the moment, not even close.
The interest was correspondingly high when Ohtani decided to move to the USA after five professional years in Japan. Every team would have liked to commit him, especially as his contract will initially amount to only a few million dollars due to the rule of exchange – that makes him an absolute bargain.
The Angels have now emerged as the winner from the application folders. The decision was anything but easy for him, Balelo said,”It is in his eyes the best environment to improve and achieve his goals.”
The Angels have been waiting for a playoff since 2014. The 2017 season ended with a balance of 80-82.