4. Shohei Ohtani

The world was the limit for Shohei Ohtani, and in his fourth year in the Majors, that is what he delivered.

Prior to his American arrival, Shohei Ohtani was nothing short of a phenom, winning a Pacific League MVP as a hitter and pitcher.  Ohtani was able to clear posting before he turned 25, a much younger age than his previous Japanese counterparts, and the Angels were the team that won his services, allowing Ohtani to come to North America for the 2018 Season.

The Angels were cautious with Ohtani, but he did pitch in ten Games in his first North American season (4-2, 3.31 ERA) and had 22 Home Runs.  It was good enough to win the Rookie of the Year, but his season ended in early September, and he underwent Tommy John surgery. 

When Ohtani returned in 2019, it was agreed that he would not pitch that year, and he provided good offense with 18 Home Runs with a .286 Batting Average.  Ohtani had a terrible 2020, where in the COVID-shortened season, he batted under .200, but the belief existed that Ohtani was still going to be special.  In 2021, he was.

Ohtani responded with a year that hadn’t been seen since the days of Babe Ruth when he also pitched.  On the mound, Ohtani had 1 9-2 record over 130.1 Innings with 156 Strikeouts and a 3.18 ERA.  With his bat, Ohtani blasted 46 Home Runs with 100 RBIs and also stole 26 Bases.  He went to the All-Star Game, won a Silver Slugger at Designated Hitter, and was the unanimous MVP.

In 2022, Ohtani was the MVP runner-up behind Aaron Judge of New York, but was fourth in Cy Young voting (15-9, 2.33 ERA & 219 SO), while smacking  34 Home Runs.  There is no baseball player more special than Shohei Ohtani.  2023 was more good news for Ohtani, who again won the MVP and the SIlver Slugger, off of a 44 Home Run/05 RBI year, where he boasted a Slash Line of .304/.412/.654.  Sadly for the Angels, they were imploding aroung their superstar, and traded for short-term players for a fruitless playoff attempt in order to convince Ohtani to resign with Los Angeles.  Ohtani did sign a contract with Los Angeles, but it was the crosstown Dodgers.

Ohtani's years were arguably wasted in the Angels, but he was a must-watch superstar with the Halos.