Ohtani threw off a mound for the first time since his second Tommy John surgery.
Ohtani is currently recovering from his second Tommy John surgery after undergoing the procedure last September. On Saturday he stepped on a mound and delivered pitches for the first time since his surgery.That's big news for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who signed Ohtani to a 10-year, $700 million contract over the winter. They certainly did not pay him that much to be their designated hitter for the next decade.
While Ohtani has an argument as the best hitter in Major League Baseball and certainly can lay claim to the title of being the league's best player, he's exponentially more valuable when he can pitch. In 86 career starts, Ohtani is 38-19 with a 3.01 ERA, a 1.08 WHIP and 608 strikeouts against 173 walks in 481 2/3 innings. His best season came in 2022 when he went 15-9 with a 2.33 ERA, a 1.01 WHIP and 219 strikeouts in 166 innings. If he can come close to being that guy again while slugging the ball the way he does, his $700 million contract might seem like a bargain.
As it stands, Ohtani is the odds-on favorite to win the National League MVP Award. He's currently slashing .292/.378/.614, with a .992 OPS, 40 home runs, 40 stolen bases and 92 RBIs.Ryan Phillips is a senior writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has worked in digital media since 2009, spending eight years at The Big Lead before joining SI in 2024.
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