MLB insider raving after Shohei Ohtani's game-winning 20th home run of the season: "Most talented baseball player to ever grace this beautiful sport"
Shohei Ohtani crushed two home runs last night, one of which ended up being the game-winner in the 12th inning as the Los Angeles Angels continue to climb up the AL West standings. His second home run gave him the American League lead with 20, though Aaron Judge (with 19) has been out since June 4.
Still, doing all that while also sporting a 3.32 ERA and an unbelievable 12.08 K/9 is something relatively unheard of. Even Babe Ruth arguably didn't reach this level, which is what one MLB podcaster believes.
Ben Verlander, following Ohtani's latest exploits, went to Twitter to share a bold take on the two-way superstar.
People love to hate literally anything and everything.
But Shohei Ohtani is without a doubt the most talented baseball player to ever grace this beautiful sport.
Ever.
He tweeted:
"People love to hate literally anything and everything. But Shohei Ohtani is without a doubt the most talented baseball player to ever grace this beautiful sport. Ever."
To his credit, only Babe Ruth has ever done anything similar, and there may genuinely be a significant talent gap between the two players. Ohtani plays the game when the competition is at its best, while Ruth stood head and shoulders above his counterparts because a lot of them weren't all that good.
Plus, the eras make it difficult to compare, but it's definitely possible that Ohtani is more talented than Ruth. As for if he'll match or exceed his career marks, that's not so likely, but the talent debate can continue.
Shohei Ohtani odds on MVP favorite
If Aaron Judge can return to the lineup soon and continue raking, there's a chance he and Shohei Ohtani embark on another epic MVP race to finish the year. However, right now, Ohtani is the clear favorite.
Per Vegas Insider, Ohtani is -200 to win it. Judge is +750 and Yordan Alvarez is +2000. Marcus Semien is +3000, as is Wander Franco. There's not much competition for Ohtani, especially if neither Judge nor Alvarez can return in time and play as well as they were.
What Ohtani does is historic, so unless a player does what Judge did last year or was doing this year, there's not much the field can do to take the award from the Los Angeles Angels star.