Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angeles attends a press conference at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington, July 10, 2023. /CFP
Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angeles attends a press conference at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington, July 10, 2023. /CFP
Two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels will play in the MLB All-Star Game on behalf of the American League (AL) at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington on Tuesday. It will be his third straight All-Star appearance after winning the AL Most Valuable Player (MVP) award in 2021.
Information released by MLBShop.com on Monday showed that Ohtani and the Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. have the best-selling jerseys so far during the 2023 season. However, despite his success as a player, Ohtnai has never played in the postseason in his major league career, which began in 2018.
The last time the Angeles appeared in the playoffs was in 2014. They have lost 46 of their 91 games by Monday, ranking fourth in the AL West.
"It sucks to lose. [I want] to win," Ohtani told reporters. "Those feelings get stronger year by year."
Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angeles plays a catch at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington, July 10, 2023. /CFP
Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angeles plays a catch at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, Washington, July 10, 2023. /CFP
Ohtani leads the AL in home runs (32) and on-base plus slugging (1.050). He also posted a remarkable earned run average of 3.32 with 11.8 strikeouts per nine innings. Having finished second in the AL MVP voting results last season, behind Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees, Ohtani is still the front-runner for an award this season.
That's why many are interested in where he will go when he becomes a free agent in winter. Judging by the market conditions in recent years, Ohtani should have no trouble securing a $500 million deal, but he is being very diplomatic when asked about it.
"I've never been a free agent before, so I'm not sure how that's gonna be," Ohtani said. "I'm focused on this season right now. I just want to do my best this year and try to get as many wins as possible. I treat every season as a special season. This season is no different. Regardless of if I'm a free agent next year or not, just try to treat it the same as every other year."