Shohei Ohtani has been an outstanding pitcher and hitter for the Los Angeles Angels, but it's not uncommon for those around baseball to say he could be even better at one if he gave up the other.
On the mound, he is 3-4 in nine starts with 65 strikeouts and a 3.99 ERA, as he hits .243, has an OPS of .776, and has 11 home runs and 32 RBIs, while he's 3-4 with an OPS of .776.
All of those numbers are a little off from last season, but then again, it's pretty amazing that he's still a huge hitting and pitching threat.
The former MLB pitcher and Fox Sports MLB analyst John Smoltz said on Saturday that Ohtani could be the best pitcher in the American League if he gave up being a position player.
“If he never hits again and focuses on only pitching, he'll be the Jacob DeGrom of the American League,” Smoltz said during Saturday's Angels-Phillies broadcast.
Ohtani will be debating this for the rest of his career, whether he decides to pursue one direction full-time or not. And his lifetime statistics will always be a "what-if" game based on how things turn out.
Some on Twitter concurred with Smoltz's comments, some disagreed, and some pointed out that being Jacob deGrom might actually be a step down for Ohtani.
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