In a year where the MLB has seen its fair share of success, one player stands out above all others. Shohei Ohtani is currently leading the league in nearly every relevant category and will most likely surpass Babe Ruth on record for strikeouts by a rookie this season. However, as he continues to make history but fails to crack the top 250 in salary
Shohei Ohtani is the first player in MLB history to be named both MVP and Rookie of the Year in a single season. He is also the first Japanese-born player to hit 20 home runs and pitch 200 innings in a single season. However, he’s barely cracked the top 250 on the salary list. Read more in detail here: shohei ohtani mvp.
Okay, so Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels hasn’t had the best start to his 2022 season. But it’s not as if the reigning American League MVP hasn’t had any bright moments.
His batting average is hanging around.220 at the plate, but he has three doubles, three home runs, and nine runs batted in during the first two weeks of the season. His batting average was only.257 last season, so it’s not like he had a great year. His 46 home runs and 100 RBIs, on the other hand, helped him win the MVP award.
When it comes to Ohtani’s performance on the mound this season, the figures don’t appear promising, at least on the surface. He’s 1-2 in three starts, matching the amount of defeats he had last season when he went 9-2 with a 3.18 ERA.
However, if you’ve seen him throw, you’ll notice that he’s maybe a better pitcher than he was in 2021, which should scare the rest of the league. He’s been fiddling with his slider, increasing the speed by roughly three miles per hour. His fastball and splitter have each gained two miles per hour. So, once he figures it out, he’ll be even more electrifying than he has been, despite the fact that he was fairly good a few nights ago.
Ohtani’s CSW rate (the proportion of pitches in which he gets called or swinging strikes) was 46.9% in his most recent start against the Astros on Wednesday. He actually leads the major leagues in strikeouts, which isn’t easy since bullpen pitchers routinely lead that category.
Shohei was outstanding against Houston, pitching a perfect game until the sixth inning when Astros catcher Jason Castro doubled to end the no-hitter. After throwing 81 pitches and a dozen strikeouts in the inning, Ohtani was removed from the mound, bringing his league-leading total to 26.
He’ll be fine both at the bat and on the mound, so don’t worry.
While his poor start, he’s definitely still one of baseball’s finest and most entertaining players, despite not being paid as such, and he made MLB history this past Wednesday.
Shohei Ohtani made MLB history lately, yet he is still underpaid.
On April 22, 2022, Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels reacts in the dugout during a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Angel Stadium in Anaheim | Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images
Shohei has a long history of breaking records.
Last year’s MVP performance saw him become the first player in American League history to hit 45 home runs, steal 25 bases, and score 100 runs.
He made history by being the first player in the American League to walk 11 times in three games last September. And you’d be mistaken if you thought Barry Bonds’ National League record was larger. Bryce Harper established the National League record of 11 in 2016.
This is my personal fave. On Opening Day this year, Ohtani made history by being the first player in MLB history to both throw and catch the first pitch of the season. It’s all a little crazy.
And, in the game against the Astros stated above, the two-way standout established even another milestone by becoming the first starting pitcher in MLB history to bat twice before throwing his first pitch. The Angels batted around and scored six runs in the first inning, which turned out to be the game’s only six runs as the game ended 6-0. During the inning, Ohtani scored one run and drove in two more with a double.
Even with all of that experience and an AL MVP title under his belt, the 27-year-old is still the highest compensated player in baseball. Are you among the top 100 earners? Nope. No way in the top 200.
Ohtani’s $5.5 million salary puts him in a tie with five other players for the 238th highest in MLB. That’s about a seventh of what Angels teammate Mike Trout will earn in 2022. Trout, a three-time AL MVP who only played 36 games last season due to injuries, will earn $37,116,666 this season.
Max Scherzer of the New York Mets and three-time Cy Young Award winner leads the way with $43,333,333.
Ohtani is arbitration-eligible this summer and will be an unrestricted free agent after the 2023 season unless the Angels sign him to a contract deal before then.
Baseball Reference provided the stats, while Spotrac provided the contract information.
RELATED: Shohei Ohtani’s Impact on Baseball Was So Great, MLB Changed the Rules for Him
The “major league baseball most valuable player award” is an accolade given to the best players in Major League Baseball. Shohei Ohtani has been making history all season, but barely cracks the top 250 in salary.
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