Ohtani CARDS are Mostly UNDERVALUED

[rats60]

Originally Posted by BillyCoxDodgers3B

The hype machine needed to be turned way down for this guy. You just don't compare someone to Babe Ruth, plain and simple. The odds of living up to such expectations are practically nil. For me personally, all the hype turned me off from caring, but I don't follow modern baseball to begin with.

If the media had toned it down a few notches, far more people would be impressed by him. His stats are pretty nice. .667 PCT over 5 seasons? At this point, he's won exactly twice as many games as he's lost. When Babe Ruth is the bar you're expected to measure up to, you're basically left to twist in the wind if you can't prove you can walk on water.

You can't compare Ruth and Ohtani. Ruth didn't have the option to pitch and DH. If he had, who knows what he could have been. This year, all Ohtani is doing is hitting, he isn't playing in the field. He has an OPS+ of 174. Ruth's career OPS+ was 206 and he played defense too.

As for pitching, Ruth started 147 games, completed 107 games and threw 17 shutouts. Ohtani has started 86 and had 1 complete game and shutout. Ruth led the league in ERA, something Ohtani is yet to do. Ohtani has a better ERA+, but he only pitches 5 1/2 innings per start, unlike Ruth who was expected to go through the lineup more than twice.

[Carter08]

Originally Posted by rats60

You can't compare Ruth and Ohtani. Ruth didn't have the option to pitch and DH. If he had, who knows what he could have been. This year, all Ohtani is doing is hitting, he isn't playing in the field. He has an OPS+ of 174. Ruth's career OPS+ was 206 and he played defense too.

As for pitching, Ruth started 147 games, completed 107 games and threw 17 shutouts. Ohtani has started 86 and had 1 complete game and shutout. Ruth led the league in ERA, something Ohtani is yet to do. Ohtani has a better ERA+, but he only pitches 5 1/2 innings per start, unlike Ruth who was expected to go through the lineup more than twice.

Ohtani faces a higher quality player pool post-segregation. So there’s that.

[oldjudge]

And he is not the best hitter in baseball. That would be Aaron Judge (who also plays a solid outfield).

[Carter08]

Originally Posted by oldjudge

And he is not the best hitter in baseball. That would be Aaron Judge (who also plays a solid outfield).

Ohtani and Judge probably the two best hitters in the game. Judge has never pitched to my knowledge.

[packs]

A lot of board people didn't think all that much of Judge either.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by packs

A lot of board people didn't think all that much of Judge either.

Judge is awesome. His late start is what holds him back a little. Looks like he may catch and pass Trout in counting stats before it is over.

[Carter08]

The gambling situation is admittedly a valid response to this, but seriously what is there not to like about Ohtani?

[D. Bergin]

Looks like he has it wrapped up in a weak field this year, especially since Ketel Marte got hurt, but has a DH ever won MVP before?

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Carter08

Ohtani and Judge probably the two best hitters in the game. Judge has never pitched to my knowledge.

At least for now, Soto is in that discussion IMO.

[conor912]

Undervalued? Seems to me that first ballot HOF entry is already 1000% baked into everything of his. Every single one of his 100 million cards printed is being treated like gold.

[packs]

I don't think the comparisons to Babe Ruth will ever be in the realm of realistic but Ohtani is clearly playing well above expectations and is in a class of his own in the modern game. But there is no comparing to Ruth. Nobody will ever compare to Ruth.

Ruth hit 59 home runs but he also batted 378 that year. The year he hit 60 he batted 356. He's a career 342 hitter with 714 home runs. Nobody will ever be that good.

And now a card:

[BillyCoxDodgers3B]

Such a disgusting autograph. With his star power, I wish he'd put a little bit into his own brand by at least adding some recognizable style to it.

Jeter's autograph is not up my alley, either, but you can at least spot it from a mile away. Even Trout's "autograph" is recognizable to so many (can't even be bothered to lift the Sharpie up between a whopping two-lettered autograph). Everyone is so concerned about their "brand". Definitely an overused, nausea-inducing term, but a stylistic, if not even legible autograph should be a part of that. That thing shown above is just a scrawl that an angry toddler could convincingly emulate without even meaning to.

[Carter08]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

At least for now, Soto is in that discussion IMO.

Betts and Witt too. Henderson knocking on the door.

[packs]

Mookie Betts is a good player but he's no Aaron Judge. Even at his peak he is overshadowed:

Betts MVP season: 186 OPS+ - pretty incredible year BUT
Judge MVP season: 210 OPS+ and his OPS+ right now is even better at 226

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by packs

Mookie Betts is a good player but he's no Aaron Judge. Even at his peak he is overshadowed:

Betts MVP season: 186 OPS+ - pretty incredible year BUT
Judge MVP season: 210 OPS+ and his OPS+ right now is even better at 226

69.1 WAR and he's only 31. That's more than a "good" player.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Carter08

Betts and Witt too. Henderson knocking on the door.

Witt is too young IMO to make any judgments yet.

[calvindog]

Originally Posted by oldjudge

And he is not the best hitter in baseball. That would be Aaron Judge (who also plays a solid outfield).

Judge is the best hitter in MLB now for sure. The only other players I'd put in that top echelon are Ohtani and Witt.