"Mookie Betts & Freddie Freeman not in the same stratosphere as Shohei Ohtani" - NHL insiders see only Aaron Judge as Dodgers superstar's equal
Shohei Ohtani's two-way prowess has landed him in the greatest players of all time discussion. The LA Dodgers superstar's ascent to the top of the baseball world has prompted talks about whether he is the best sportsperson in North American leagues today.
On TSN's "OverDrive" podcast, Bryan Hayes, Jamie McLennan and Frank Corrado discussed who among Ohtani, Patrick Mahomes, Connor McDavid and Scottie Scheffler is the best in North America. Corrado said that Ohtani is a class apart from some of the best baseball players in the world right now.
"I think with Shohei, look at the other superstars like his peers that he plays against we talked about, well two of them are on his team - Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman," Corrado said. "Those guys aren't even in the same stratosphere as Shohei Ohtani. Like go around the league and think about the biggest names outside of Shohei, they are not even close to that guy."
Hayes agreed with Corrado's statement but said the only player who has come close to Ohtani offensively in 2024 is New York Yankees captain Aaron Judge.
"In terms of his batting, it is Aaron Judge," Hayes said. "In terms of at the plate, Judge has had just as dominant of a season. What makes Ohtani so special, is that he has stolen 51 bases that was never part of his programme. He's just added this development."
The episode was released on Saturday, two days after Ohtani hit 6-for-6 against the Miami Marlins to inaugurate the 50-50 club. He has since added another home run and two stolen bases in the series against the Colorado Rockies.
Jamie McLenann compares Shohei Ohtani to the likes of Lionel Messi
Co-host Jamie McLennan put Shohei Ohtani on the same level as Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and Lionel Messi.
"Michael Jordan, people call him probably the greatest athlete of all time," McLennan said. "Tiger Woods is one. I think Ohtani has put himself in a stratosphere in these conversations where you are crossing sports over. You know like Messi, who is known as the best soccer player of all time."
Shohei Ohtani will look to win the World Series this year with the Dodgers set to compete in the postseason.