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Shohei Ohtani is Terrific, But ...

Edgy MD

By Edgy MD
in New York Mets Talk

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Edgy MD FCL Mets

Edgy MD

Site Manager
Posted
Posted (edited)


I'm kind of tired of this "best ever" stuff. Gary came up with a qualifier of "over the last three years" tonight. Over the last three seasons, Shohei has put up 14.3 bWAR hitting and 14.3 more pitching. bWAR isn't everything, but Babe Ruth put up over 28.6 of them (even though they weren't known to exist) over three years a LOT. All the caveats of using Babe Ruth exist. Yes, he never played against visibly African-American players, but he also rode on trains. Yes, he never played night games, but he also never got to DH. He put up fWAR over 28.6 from

  • 1917 to 1919 (28.7),

  • 1918 to 1920 (34.3),

  • 1919 to 1921 (30.0),

  • 1920 to 1922 (30.8),

  • 1921 to 1923 (33.1),

  • 1922 to 1924 (31.9),

  • 1923 to 1925 (34.2),

  • 1926 to 1928 (30.9),

  • 1927 to 1929 (28.8),

  • 1928 to 1930 (29.1), and

  • 1929 to 1931 (29.5).



That's 11 times. He was, like, the Babe Ruth of his sport. Ted Williams also did it twice (depending on how you count three seasons when there's a war in between them. Barry Bonds did it thrice.



I imagine somebody else might have pulled it off once or twice. It's no shame not being Babe Ruth, as that's a category I too fall into. I dig Ohtani. Among other things, he's showed baseball that nearly a century and a half of received wisdom about letting players simultaneously pursue careers as pitchers and hitters has been wrong. Who knows how many terrific careers were lost or diminished because of that?



I just think the guy's about to hit an insane free agent market. But he's shredded his elbow twice now, so his future as a pitcher — and certainly as a star pitcher — is very much in doubt. And after that, we're talking about a Judge-quality slugger who doesn't play defense. And slugger contracts can go sour also.



He still has a chance to make people very happy for an extended period of time, given a few breaks, but let's look at him for what he is, rather than build up myths around him.


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metirish First Round Pick

metirish

Old-Timey Member
Posted
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It will be very interesting to see the market for him, if your team signed him and he was done with pitching that would suck ,of course if he was mashing that would help offset that.still I can't see the half a billion happening


  • 1 month later...
Benjamin Grimm FCL Mets

Benjamin Grimm

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted


Stories about which teams have the best shot at Ohtani have been all over the map, literally.



Just in the last couple of days, I've read that he's only interested in the West Coast, and also that now that he's been in the United States for a while, he'd be okay with going to an East Coast team. (This last was from a report out of Boston.)



I've read that because he's sure to stay out West, that the Mets have turned their attention instead to Yamamoto. (Regardless of what happens with Ohtani, the Mets should be interested in Yamamoto. There shouldn't be an "instead" involved, but that may be better discussed in a different thread.)


  • 3 weeks later...
Benjamin Grimm FCL Mets

Benjamin Grimm

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted


=Marshmallowmilkshake post_id=142510 time=1702064077 user_id=119]
=metirish post_id=142509 time=1702063131 user_id=72]
X is going wild right now with rumors he signed for the Jays

A Boy Named Seo College Ball

A Boy Named Seo

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted


ShoJay Ohtani would be wild. It seems he doesn't like all the crazed fanfare so staying in Anaheim would be kinda perfect. Maybe he hates SoCal. Maybe he hates the west coast. Maybe HE HATES AMERICA.



Great for the Jays, if true.


Marshmallowmilkshake Draft Eligible

Marshmallowmilkshake

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted


Benjamin Grimm wrote:

=Marshmallowmilkshake post_id=142510 time=1702064077 user_id=119]
=metirish post_id=142509 time=1702063131 user_id=72]
X is going wild right now with rumors he signed for the Jays


Best case scenario!
Edgy MD FCL Mets

Edgy MD

Site Manager
Posted
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Posted


That's the spirit!



Also, Walter Johnson put up 28.6 fWAR or more over a three-season span eight times, topping out at 43.5 from 1912 to 1914.


kcmets Draft Eligible

kcmets

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted


I heard earlier this morning Ohtani has signed a minor league deal

the Toledo Mudhens. Huge, huge I tell ya!


MFS62 First Round Pick

MFS62

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted


=kcmets post_id=142543 time=1702134837 user_id=53]
I heard earlier this morning Ohtani has signed a minor league deal

the Toledo Mudhens. Huge, huge I tell ya!

MFS62 First Round Pick

MFS62

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted (edited)


=kcmets post_id=142543 time=1702134837 user_id=53]
I heard earlier this morning Ohtani has signed a minor league deal

the Toledo Mudhens. Huge, huge I tell ya!

Edited by Guest
ashie62 Draft Eligible

ashie62

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted


Huge attention was paid to a flight tracker route from southern California to Toronto



This "may" have led to some outlets being premature with the Ohtani to the Blue Jays



Canadian Robert Herjavic, shark tank dude, was flying home



The Mets have checked on Ohtani



I expect them to sign Ohtani and Yamamoto, today


MFS62 First Round Pick

MFS62

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted



Huge attention was paid to a flight tracker route from southern California to Toronto



This "may" have led to some outlets being premature with the Ohtani to the Blue Jays



Canadian Robert Herjavic, shark tank dude, was flying home


Tweet of the day, by Jason Benetti (new Tiger PBP guy and will be calling the Alabama-Purdue game in Toronto)...
My plane has landed in Toronto.


Pulling our chains.

Later


G-Fafif College Ball

G-Fafif

Old-Timey Member
Posted
Posted (edited)


Ohtani is a Dodger.



The total has just sunk in. Wow.


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