When it comes to MLB free agents, it's hard to find someone as intriguing as two-way Japanese star Shohei Ohtani.
What makes him so intriguing? Well, the most obvious thing is his ability mash at the plate while also blowing away hitters on the mound. He was limited to just 231 plate appearances and 25.1 innings this year because of injury, but the domination has been evident since the 23-year-old turned pro at the ripe age of 18. In 1,170 career plate appearances, he owns a .286/.358/.500 line with 70 doubles, 48 home runs, and 166 RBI. In 543 career innings on the mound, he's 42-15 with a 2.52 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings pitched.
Plus, have you seen a pitcher with a swing and strut like this?
Ohtani can MASH! (📹: @ baseballvx/IG) pic.twitter.com/APwJpfizQJ
— Baseball Essential (@BB_Essential) December 2, 2017
Yea, me neither.
And since he can't sign a monster deal straight out of Japan, even more intrigue was added because we had no idea what he was looking for in a team -- literally all 30 big league clubs appeared to have a shot.
That's a thing of the past now, though. With Ohtani officially posted, the race is on, but only seven teams remain on his list: the Los Angeles Dodgers, Los Angeles Angels, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, San Francisco Giants, Texas Rangers, and Chicago Cubs.
Since we have some clarity on which organizations have a legit shot at landing this potential superstar, which one has the best shot? We'll be taking a deeper look at each team's pitching, because that's where it the priority seems to be at -- with his ability to hit coming as an added bonus.