"He’s a freak of nature" - Dodgers' Gavin Lux astonished to be around Shohei Ohtani, names Japanese phenom as the 'best jumper' in the organization
Shohei Ohtani is an anomaly, and Dodgers' infielder Gavin Lux is finding that out rather quickly. There is no denying what Ohtani can do on the field, but that is not the only place he shines.
Ohtani is a dedicated player, and he has to be. To be able to be a two-way player, you have to train hard and likely longer than other players who only have to worry about hitting or pitching.
From years of working to be the best ballplayer he can be, Ohtani is impressive to watch in the gym, according to Lux. Lux, in an interview with SportsNet LA, spoke about how incredible Ohtani is.
"He's just a freak of nature, man. You get up next to him, he's huge. We did the force plates yesterday and he's like the best jumper in the organization," Lux said.
Force plates measure athletes' direction, strength, and reactive muscle activation time. It differs from popular measurements like a vertical jump, which measures an athlete's reach.
According to Gavin Lux, Shohei Ohtani is the best jumper in the Dodgers' organization. This now begs the question, can Ohtani dunk? According to the Angels' pitching coordinator, he can.
From being the face of a sport to dunking a basketball, there is seemingly nothing this man cannot do. Ohtani is not just an elite baseball player. He is an elite athlete.
Dodgers' infielder Gavin Lux is amazed at how Shohei Ohtani handles himself
One thing that Shohei Ohtani has never been questioned on is his work ethic. Many former coaches and teammates have marveled at how hard the two-way phenom works on his craft, and with Gavin Lux, it is no different.
"He's just a really fun person to be around. He keeps everything super light, but he gets his work in... When he's taking his slips right now going through his rehab progression, it is intent. Everything is with intent, focus" said Lux.
Lux is more than impressed with how Ohtani is working through his rehab. He is not overworking himself, which is smart. He cannot afford to overwork himself, especially after signing his mega 10-year, $700 million deal.
With Ohtani and the other prime-time players they added to their roster this season, the Dodgers are a juggernaut. They have the roster to win multiple World Series titles over the next handful of years.