The Los Angeles Dodgers have no shortage of star power on their roster, which is obviously headlined by the talents of the reigning National League MVP Shohei Ohtani.
Becoming the first player in MLB history to hit over 50 home runs and steal over 50 bases in a season is one thing, doing it on your first season with a new team is another, and helping that team win their eighth World Series trophy in franchise history the same year makes Ohtani such a valuable talent.
It isn’t just the Dodgers organization that notices, but a future Hall of Famer and former teammate recently gave Ohtani his flowers.
Mike Trout, the hallowed slugger of the Los Angeles Angels, was Ohtani’s teammate for six seasons in Anaheim. He recently spoke on the greatness of the three-time MVP not just from the 2024 campaign, but his consistency of historic numbers.
“His season was pretty incredible,” Trout said. “It was fun to watch and to follow. It was good for baseball, too. Everyone knows what he’s capable of. To be able to put up that kind of numbers consistently is pretty amazing.”
Ohtani’s regular season brilliance may have led to MLB’s highest viewed Fall Classic since 2017 as an average of 15.102 million viewers tuned in to watch the Dodgers secure their eighth title.
Trout also noted what it is like for Ohtani when he is both smashing home runs and producing a 3.14 ERA on the mound.
“I watched him do what he does on the mound from center field for all those years,” Trout said. “I’ve never seen a player like him. Not both ways like that. He’s incredible.”
Ohtani’s last season pitching and slugging was 2023 with the aforementioned 3.14 ERA and 167 strikeouts to only 55 walks across 132 innings pitched. His offense saw 44 home runs, 95 RBIs, and a slash line of .304/.412/.654 and an absurd OPS of 1.066
This offensive outpour earned him an All-Star nod, a Silver Slugger award, and an American League MVP award.
Ohtani hopes to achieve this greatness once again on the mound and in the batters box in 2025.
