grapplegraphics.com The possibility that the Minnesota Twins, who failed to advance to the Major League Championship Series this year due to being blocked by Houston, could target Shohei Ohtani, a star who doubles as a pitcher, has been discussed.
Japanese media ‘Baseball Channel’ reported on the 30th, “Ohtani becomes a free agent. “Among the players set to become free agents this year, Ohtani is the player receiving the most attention,” he said. “According to a local American newspaper, it was mentioned that Minnesota could make a move to recruit Ohtani.”
As a career pitcher in the Major League, Ohtani recorded 86 games (481⅔ innings), 38 wins, 19 losses, and an ERA of 3.01, and as a hitter, in 701 games, he recorded a batting average of .274 (681 hits in 2,483 at-bats), 171 home runs, 437 RBIs, and an OPS of .922. .
He was unable to complete the season this year due to an elbow injury, and his evaluation took a slight hit, but he is a strong MVP candidate. He pitched in 23 games (132 innings) as a regular season pitcher this year, recording 10 wins, 5 losses, and an ERA of 3.14. As a batter, he had a batting average of .304 (151 hits in 497 at-bats) in 135 games, with 44 home runs and 95 RBIs, and an OPS of 1.066. Even though he didn’t play until the end, he won the American League home run title.
Many clubs are interested in him. Recently, American media reporter John Heyman of the New York Post predicted the LA Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, and Texas Rangers as the teams closest to recruiting Ohtani. There are also predictions that Ohtani’s price could rise up to $600 million (approximately 813.9 billion won), so there are not many teams that can easily approach him.토스카지노 도메인
Nevertheless, there are still expectations that recruiting Ohtani will be of great help. Moreover, it is expected that he will play as a batsman only next year and that he will be able to ‘double hitting’ again from the 2025 season.
The American local newspaper ‘Zone Coverage’ said, “If Minnesota can recruit Ohtani, they can fill both the hitter and pitcher holes.” However, “Ohtani will have a hard time becoming a pitcher next year. He also observed, “Considering that Minnesota’s starting lineup for next season is uncertain, a contract may be difficult.”
Therefore, the media said, “As the free agency period approaches, interest in Ohtani is growing, but the issue is not whether he will sign with Minnesota. “I wonder if Ohtani can help Minnesota win the World Series,” he added.
Minnesota defeated the Toronto Blue Jays in this year’s postseason wild card game and advanced to the division series, but lost the series 1-3 to Houston and was eliminated from the fall stage.
Ohtani, the major league’s only ‘two-batting’ star, won the American League Rookie of the Year award in 2018, and won MVP and Silver Slugger awards in 2021. He also ranked second in MVP and fourth in Cy Young Award in 2022 as a double hitter. He is very popular, including being selected as an All-Star for three consecutive years (2021-2023). Attention will be paid to which team he will play for next season.