“I got to know Shohei Ohtani pretty well” - Team USA’s Ryan Ward reflects on spring training with Dodgers DH and Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Team USA star Ryan Ward was with the Los Angeles Dodgers farm system in 2024. During Spring Training, he played alongside Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani. It was an experience he believes helped him appreciate the Japanese duo.
"It was an incredible experience," Ward said. "I was pretty close to them in the locker room, so I got to know Shohei [Ohtani] pretty well. [Yoshinobu] Yamamoto, I got him coming down to AAA for a rehab start, so I got to play with him a little more there. Just how respectful and the love for the game, it's different."
The Team USA star said he appreciated the opportunity to "pick their brains" on anything and everything during his time with the two Japanese stars. Ward has been one of the stars for the United States during the Premier 12 tournament.
Dodgers coach praises Shohei Ohtani's base-stealing
During Spring Training, Shohei Ohtani worked on stealing bases. Former Dodgers coach Clayton McCullough said that he felt like Ohtani was "pushing the limits" of his baserunning during the spring.
It resulted in a 59-steal season and the first 50-homer/50-steal season in MLB history. McCullough said via Dodger Blue:
“He put in a lot of legwork and I’ll say this guy helped me become a far better coach than I know I helped Shohei become a better player. I enjoyed the time watching video, listening to his perspective as a pitcher and the unique side of looking at how guys’ bodies moves, ticks, tells to alert you to a type of delivery or pickoff move.
"So he was a really fun partner last season and he deserves all the credit for the year he had.”
The coach said his work with Ohtani on the bases was like a partnership, and he was impressed by how studious the slugger was in trying to improve in any aspect he could.