3 Records Shohei Ohtani can break in 2022
Since Shohei Ohtani broke into the MLB, he's been the top ace and top power hitter in the American League. Observing his young five-season career already feels like a lifetime's worth of achievements in such a short amount of time. Still, the 27-yr-old double-edged sword is just getting started and could break franchise and MLB records we haven't seen graced in several generations.
Here are three hallowed MLB achievements we could witness from the once-in-a-lifetime talent in 2022.
Franchise single-season home run record
Troy Glaus set the bar high when he hit his franchise-record 47 home runs in 2000. Ohtani flirted with that number last season, blasting 46 in 2021. Though he only has eight at the quarter mark of the 2022 campaign, four of those have come in his last 10 games. The Japanese sensation has been known to go on a tear and get better as the season progresses. When he does, he becomes otherworldly, and nobody can stop this production machine. If he goes on the secnd half tear he went on last season, the Angels could see their dual-force weapon pass a historic home run mark their franchise hasn't seen in over 20 years.
First pitcher/hitter with back-to-back MVP Awards
Since last season, Shohei Ohtani has been writing his own history book. No pitcher/hitter combo has won the MVP Award doing both positions in a single season. This season, he has the opportunity to achieve a record that may never be broken if he wins back-to-back MVP Awards. Ohtani is already in a league of his own. This achievement would just put him in an entirely different galaxy.
Best single-season strikeout/walks ratio
The strikeouts/base on ball ratio, or SO/BB, measures how many strikeouts a pitcher logs before yielding a walk. The higher, the better. The current single-season record for SO/BB is 5.00 set by German Marquez in 2019. Shohei Ohtani is on pace to shatter that record. In 2022, the lethal right-handed hurler averages almost six strikeouts per walk at a eye-popping 5.89. What makes this stat all the more incredible is his low walks per nine inning average of 2.1. These two statistics side-by-side tell the story of a pitcher who has pinpoint precision with his pitches. The catcher doesn't have to move his glove much from the intended target. There are more than enough examples in this video to prove that.
Here's a supercut of the prettiest pitches thrown by Shohei Ohtani in his three inning outing today against the Brewers.
His slider is looking so good. https://t.co/Y9RZP6YKXO
"His slider is looking so good" - @ Nick Pollack
When Ohtani is at his best, as he has been for the majority of the season on the mound, his pitches haven't missed his location. Having good stuff is lethal enough, but rarely is such top-tier pitch quality combined with pinpoint location. Most aces have one or the other, with location being the most important, as it puts the ball in tough spots to hit. He possesses a rare combination of the two, and he throws them for strikes. When your catcher doesn't move his glove from the intended location, you gain the upper hand on the corner calls in both the umpire's and the hitter's eye.
The unfinished book of Shohei Ohtani
The entire story of Shohei Ohtani is a tale that isn't even half written. Each new season represents a new chapter in the fairy-tale-like display of Ohtani's talents. He's rewriting the game of baseball as we know it in the most dynamic of ways. Whether he accomplishes these three feats in the current season is almost irrelevant, because each year presents an opportunity to stamp his name in the MLB record books. If he continues to be healthy, this flawless swing could find itself in the mix of all-time and single-season home run leaders.
Shohei Ohtani. Amazing.
"Pitchers Who Rake" Club President. https://t.co/8kbyX4JcEr
"Shohei Ohtani. Amazing" - @ Rob Friedman
Stay tuned for what the rest of this chapter of the MLB season holds on the mound and at the plate for Shohei Ohtani. It's sure to be a long, wild ride until this story concludes at the end of his career.