Ohtani's Pitching Debut

Shohei Ohtani is set to become baseball’s modern day two-way player today as he suits up to pitch for the Anaheim Angels. Ohtani made his Major League debut on Thursday against Oakland where he collected his first major-league hit, a single, ending the night 1-for-5 with a strikeout.

He came to the Angels during the winter as a powerful left-handed hitter and an extraordinary right-handed starting pitcher, inviting the comparisons to Babe Ruth. He didn’t have the best performance during Spring Training but the bright lights of pitching in a Major League stadium is sure to get his adrenaline going.

No player in the last two decades other than fellow Japan native Ichiro Suzuki has been as much of a question at the beginning of his MLB career. Ichiro was the first position player to cross the Pacific, and the question was whether or not he could hit big-league pitching. Ichiro hit .351, won the American League batting title and the MVP.

The question for Ohtani is whether he can both consistently pitch and hit at a big league level.  His performance during the spring wont wow anyone, going 4-for-32 (.125) at the plate and owning a 27.00 ERA in two Cactus League games. Most of his game work in the spring came in B games, an intrasquad game and an exhibition game. I got to watch Ohtani in his B game against Mexico where he looked strong in the early innings before fading away to mediocrity in his pitching performance and confidence.

There sure will be excitement in the air tonight for the Angels and Ohtani when they play Oakland. He's a player who has the ability to do something special this year, especially when he climbs on that mound for a real game. Tonight will be a snapshot into the hype Ohtani created in the off-season where he had multiple suitors for his services.