"He has a chance to be best player of all time" - Blue Jays OF George Springer lauds Shohei Ohtani ahead of upcoming clash with Dodgers
The LA Dodgers are set to face the Toronto Blue Jays on Friday at Rogers Centre. Ahead of the game, Blue Jays outfielder George Springer heaped praise on Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, calling him one of the best players of all time.
“Shohei is a once-in-a-lifetime player," Springer was quoted as saying by Sportsnet. "Obviously, if he’s not on your team, you always want him. He just lets his play speak for itself. When it’s all said and done, I think he has a chance to be maybe the best player of all time.
"He can do things on a field that only he can do. I don’t know what he does (being the scenes), but it seems like he just goes and plays, and that’s the end of it.”
During the offseason, the Dodgers and Blue Jays battled to land the two-way phenom who became a free agent after parting ways with the LA Angels. In December, a rumor spread that Ohtani was on a plane to Toronto to sign with the Jays.
However, that turned out to be a false alarm, as the Dodgers swept the three-time All-Star off the free-agency market with a mammoth $700 million, 10-year deal.
Ohtani has started life as a Dodger with a bang. He has a batting average of .359 with 11 RBIs and four HRs along with an OPS of 1.094.
The Jays are fifth in the AL East standings with a record of 13-13. The Dodgers, on the other hand, lead the NL West with a record of 16-11.
Blue Jays manager reflects on how home fans might greet Shohei Ohtani following Toronto rejection this offseason
Shohei Ohtani is set to play his first game in Toronto since he rejected a move to the Blue Jays this offseason. The last time he was in Canada was during his time with the Angels and he was greeted with open arms. However, it's being reported that this time things might be a bit different.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider reflected on how he feels the home fans might react to Ohtani's presence.
"Hopefully, they give it to him a little bit,” Schneider said. “But shoot, man, he’s a hell of a player. He’s a great player. You don’t like watching him from the other side of the dugout, but you have to appreciate how good he is. But, yeah, it’ll be interesting to see how the fans welcome him.”
The Dodgers are riding a three-game winning streak, while the Blue Jays are coming off three consecutive losses in the four-game series against the Kansas City Royals.