Despite numerous delays, Los Angeles Dodgers slugger Shohei Ohtani continues to work toward a return to the mound. With limitless power at the plate, as well as incredible speed and baserunning abilities, the reigning National League Most Valuable Player wants to pitch again. Regardless of how many top-tier pitchers the team can sign, their best hitter expects to dominate on the mound.
Ohtani came to America with the potential to win the MVP as a hitter and the Cy Young as a pitcher. However, injuries have limited that approach over the last few seasons.
Ever the competitor, the 30-year-old hopes to overcome his injury and return to double duty. Fortunately, he has a pitching coach who understands the risks of rushing back from a personal perspective.
Shohei Ohtani’s Pitching Coach Discusses Quirky Rehab Pushing Back Return
The Dodgers’ star and arguably the best player in baseball wants more. Ohtani, dissatisfied with tape-measured home runs, wants to return to the mound.
He last pitched on August 23, 2023, for 1.1 innings. Following that, labrum repair surgery prevented the future Hall of Famer from pitching. When he arrived in Los Angeles, the Dodgers’ pitching coach couldn’t have been more helpful.
In the early 2000s, former Chicago Cubs pitcher Mark Prior was heralded as the next Tom Seaver, a young pitcher with a blistering fastball and stunning off-speed pitches.
Prior’s arm problems limited him to a five-year career, spanning 2002 to 2006. After five failed comebacks due to arm problems, he retired in 2013. Prior, a student of the game, found his way into coaching.
Since becoming the Dodgers’ pitching coach in 2020, he has worked with a diverse group of pitchers. Ohtani, as others have frequently stated, is a unicorn. Prior spoke with the “Dodgers Territory” podcast about his struggles in bringing the slugger back to the hill.
“There are days when he goes 4-for-4 and runs around on the basepaths, and the next day he’s tired or exhausted, so the throwing workload needs to be reduced or adjusted to accommodate that. “It’s been an ongoing learning experience for everyone,” Prior said.
Basically, giving your all at the plate and on the basepaths leaves nothing for throwing sessions. Granted, Ohtani wants to return to pitching, but how will this affect him at the plate? The torque of swinging the back, which is exacerbated by the force generated when throwing a fastball, does not appear to be beneficial in the long term.
When healthy, Ohtani projects as a top-of-the-rotation starter with a powerful arsenal. At the age of 25, Prior’s career was effectively cut short due to injuries.
Now, the team has tasked him with ensuring that their nine-figure investment can still walk to the plate. The former phenom tries to help the current phenom, demonstrating that baseball, like time, is a flat circle.
