Name one MLB player who can hit a four-hundred-fifty-foot homerun and consistently throw a ninety-eight-mile-per-hour fastball. I’ll wait.

In my day, no player has ever been able to be a top pitcher and hitter. His fastball has topped out at one hundred and one point four mph, and his curveball is disgusting, making any decent player swing and miss. Shohei Ohtani currently has thirty-four home runs; this stat is the sixth most out of any hitter in the 2022 MLB season. He also has one hundred eighty-eight strikeouts, a stat that is the eighth most out of any pitcher in the 2020 MLB season.

Being a top player on either side of the diamond is already a difficult achievement that takes enormous effort and determination. Shohei Ohtani is a leading player in both aspects of the game. I can’t name any baseball player who has been a prime player in pitching and hitting, let alone at the major league level. The stuff Shohei Ohtani has done in a matter of a few years in the MLB is remarkable. He already has better stats than most veteran players and significantly impacts the league. His impacts are obvious on and off the field; he is an inspiration to young baseball players who dream of one day being in the MLB.

For Ohtani to be the most standout player on the Los Angeles Angels is an achievement, playing among the notorious Mike Trout. Some say Trout is better. My response to this is, “How fast is his fastball? How much does his curveball drop? Or how much does his slider run?” I don’t understand how people don’t think of it that way. Sure, Mike Trout may have a little more power at the plate, but what Shohei Ohtani lacks at the plate, he makes up for at the pitcher’s mound.

Ohtani’s game does most of his talking, but he has also acquired many prestigious awards. These awards would include two ESPY’s Best Major League Player of the year, an ESPY Best Male Athlete of the year award, and an American League MVP award, to name a few. Shohei Ohtani is only five years into his MLB career, has made two All-Star Game appearances, and earned the Silver Slugger and Rookie of the Year honors.

What separates Shohei Ohtani from other players is his passion for the game. This drives him to be better at every aspect of the game. While pitchers are working on throwing technique, Ohtani is working on throwing technique and his swing. While hitters are working on making better contact, Ohtani is doing the same thing while also working on fielding.

If you want a great example of somebody who is always three steps ahead, look at Shohei Ohtani. If you want a great example of somebody who gives all their effort, look at Shohei Ohtani. Not only is he proved that hard work pays off, but he is also an influence to others to start their journey to work hard to achieve their goals.

Nobody ever talked about a dominant pitcher and hitter that plays in the league because they never thought it could be done. Do you want to see Shohei Ohtani do something nobody has ever seen? Then tell him he can’t do it.