OT: Ohtani

[brass_rat]

And 11 of the 12 strikeouts have been swinging. Continues to amaze me.

Just struck out his 12th as the first out in the 6th.

[Peter_Spaeth]

His ERA for the year is down to 4.61!!

In case you missed his first two starts.

0-2
ERA
7.56

And he's hitting .216.

[Snapolit1]

Yeah, he's looking like a total bust.

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

His ERA for the year is down to 4.61!!

In case you missed his first two starts.

0-2
ERA
7.56

And he's hitting .216.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

Yeah, he's looking like a total bust.

It's meaningless right now, but I think it's also misguided to say he's looking good for MVP.

[5-Tool Player]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

Yeah, he's looking like a total bust.

Bust my A**, Steve .....give it time and Shohei will deliver

[rdwyer]

Can't wait until this guy retires!

[5-Tool Player]

Originally Posted by rdwyer

Can't wait until this guy retires!

With time ....ALL good things will happen but give us time to reach the playoffs

[profholt82]

I've noticed he's been in more commercials lately. It used to be they'd show him and some guys in the crowd or wherever would talk about him. But he's been in some commercials for a new baseball video game where he speaks quite a bit. And I've got to say, his English has gotten pretty good.

[Smarti5051]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

His ERA for the year is down to 4.61!!

In case you missed his first two starts.

0-2
ERA
7.56

And he's hitting .216.

Well, in the first game, he game up 1 run and struck out 9 in in 4.2 innings. So, one bad inning against the Rangers last week is the reason for most of the ugliness you reference. As for the .216 BA, that was before his 2 for 3 night, raising him to .241. MVP numbers? Not yet. But, man he is exciting to watch when he is "on."

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Smarti5051

Well, in the first game, he game up 1 run and struck out 9 in in 4.2 innings. So, one bad inning against the Rangers last week is the reason for most of the ugliness you reference. As for the .216 BA, that was before his 2 for 3 night, raising him to .241. MVP numbers? Not yet. But, man he is exciting to watch when he is "on."

Agree and he may well have another amazing year, numbers to this point are meaningless. Just objecting to the OP's characterization of his season so far.

[Snapolit1]

Clearly has the talent to be a transformative talent in the history of baseball.

If he was on the Yankees they may well have retired his number already.

Probably a very boring guy to discuss on a board that to many is all about finding obscure players that no one else knows about. People will go on and on about some pitcher from 1899 that no one has ever heard of. I get it.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Snapolit1

Clearly has the talent to be a transformative talent in the history of baseball.

If he was on the Yankees they may well have retired his number already.

He's definitely unique. Of course the risk factors are his age, his injury history, and the relative unlikelihood (I speculate) he won't both pitch and hit for more than a couple more years. Hugely entertaining and from all appearances a really fine young man too.

[JustinD]

Still happy I was thinking his cards were crazy undervalued when they bottomed out.

Stockpiled a nice selection of PSA 10s at sub 45 bucks each except a purple heritage 10 that was 80 because I just thought it was pretty. Think I’ll be holding that group a while.

I think he’s definitely on his way to being a great if his health holds.

[itjclarke]

Originally Posted by JustinD

Still happy I was thinking his cards were crazy undervalued when they bottomed out.

Stockpiled a nice selection of PSA 10s at sub 45 bucks each except a purple heritage 10 that was 80 because I just thought it was pretty. Think I’ll be holding that group a while.

I think he’s definitely on his way to being a great if his health holds.

I also bought many (70-80) Ohtani rookies, well before last season, many being his original 2013 Japanese BBM cards. He is the first player to compel me to buy modern since maybe 1987-1988 (when I was 10-11). Most of his rookies were sub $10, and many were sub $3 and available in bulk.

Since he arrived to the US in 2018, he's been a totally unique talent, 1 of 1. Last year he took it to another level, and his card values followed.

I don't expect he can keep that (2021) up, nor do I expect the spike in values to remain stable. However I also think that no matter what, he will always capture the imagination of fans and collectors alike, both in real time and years from now in hindsight (like Bo Jax, Joe Jax, Ko-fax-- all who carry the "what if?" factor).

As a fan, I absolutely love Ohtani, and don't give a crap if he's hitting .200 or .290. He is absolutely amazing, and if baseball does die in the US, as seems is being discussed, then Ohtani is its best bet it stays alive overseas. Anyone watching him even remotely closely can see and appreciate the uniqueness of his talent and of this moment.

[jcmtiger]

We will see. Good luck to him.

[BobbyStrawberry]

I'm fascinated with the "Ohtani cam" featured on Japanese TV (top right of the screen). Apparently it shows him at all times during the game, even when he is sitting in the dugout!

[mrreality68]

Originally Posted by BobbyStrawberry

I'm fascinated with the "Ohtani cam" featured on Japanese TV (top right of the screen). Apparently it shows him at all times during the game, even when he is sitting in the dugout!

that is pretty cool what they do but can be a little weird during down times

[itjclarke]

Originally Posted by BobbyStrawberry

I'm fascinated with the "Ohtani cam" featured on Japanese TV (top right of the screen). Apparently it shows him at all times during the game, even when he is sitting in the dugout!

Given baseball's sagging popularity, anything they can do to feed this hyper demand is worth it.

I'm pretty alarmed MLB, ESPN, etc do not do more to market him. I guess Yankees Red Sox is all the qualifies as must watch on Sunday night though.