Ever since joining the Los Angeles Angels in 2018 from the Japanese Major League as he previously played for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighter. Ohtani was subject to a lot of interest in the major leagues as he was absolutely tearing it in the Japanese League. Ever since his introduction towards the MLB he has been pretty good, but with this 2021 season, Ohtani has been on a breakout year that will look to propel the Angels towards the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
How does Ohtani fit in the system
Ohtani became a two-way player in the Angels system as he can both pitch and hit, with the Angels using him as a designated hitter on days that he wasn’t pitching and then put him on the mound a couple of days later. This 2021 season Ohtani has been batting .263 with 15 home runs and 40 runs batted in according to ESPN. At one point in the season Ohtani was leading the Major League in home runs.
Ohtani missed only one season which was in 2019 due to having Tommy John Surgery which most of the pitchers get as at one point of their career the UCL ligament in the elbow tears. Angels were hoping that they could use Ohtani that year, but it was a reoccurring injury that had happened while Ohtani played in Japan but wasn’t as significant.
Angels Struggling
Mike Trout has been the star in leading the struggling Angels who haven’t been to a playoff game since 2014 with players like Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton, CJ Wilson all signed in a huge spending spree to ensure that the Angels would become a powerhouse in the AL West but all have come up short and are no longer on the team as Pujols was the last to leave. The addition of Anthony Rendon in 2019 made the Angels defense look even better, but still short of a playoff appearance and a World Series Ring.
How is his 2021 season been
After signing a new two year deal worth 8.5 million dollars Ohtani has been wrecking the entire league. Not only has his hitting be amazing, but his pitching has been quite stellar, Ohtani has started seven games and currently has a record of 1-1 and he has been posting 2.72 ERA, 50 strikeouts in 36.1 innings pitched according to ESPN. The Angels hope that they can get some other bats swinging as they cannot just rely on Ohtani as the other players than Mike Trout need to step up.
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