Shohei Ohtani gears up to debut his Decoy-inspired cleats for the MLB Players Weekend
MLB Players Weekend is underway, allowing players like Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and others to show off their personalities. The league has relaxed its restrictions on cleats and bat colors, and players are sure to go crazy.
Ohtani will be taking the field with cleats honoring his dog, Decoy. The Los Angeles Dodgers star and his sponsor, New Balance, teamed up to create a one-of-a-kind cleat for the superstar slugger.
A few weeks ago, Ohtani pulled up to the All-Star Game Red Carpet show honoring his four-legged friend. Ohtani said that he originally picked the color of the suit because of his dog.
Looking at Shohei Ohtani's performance this season
Shohei Ohtani must have taken a page out of Decoy's playbook because he has been swiping bags left and right this season. Through 119 games, he already has a career-high 35 stolen bases.
His 35 stolen bases rank him third in the league, right behind Milwaukee Brewers slugger Brice Turang and Cincinnati Reds slugger Elly De La Cruz. He could catch Turang, but with Cruz's 59 stolen bases, he is the clear leader.
Ohtani leads the National League with his 37 home runs, and he is on pace to do something very few MLB players have done before. Five more steals and three more home runs would make him the sixth member of the 40-40 club.
Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr. was the most recent player to do it, hitting 41 home runs and stealing 73 bases last season. He would have likely been in contention to do the same this season if not for tearing his ACL.
Ohtani will likely be asked to continue this pace as the Dodgers do not hold the biggest lead in the division. The Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres are right on their tail. With the way he has looked, it would not be too surprising to see Ohtani finish the season with 50 home runs and 50 steals.