The 2023 MLB All-Star Game is right around the corner.
The rosters are mostly finalized, and Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani is representing the American League as a hitter.
He is also going as a pitcher.
Wait, what?
How’s that possible?
Well, he is Shohei Ohtani.
It’s the third time he has done it, in fact.
“For the third year in a row, Shohei Ohtani is in as both a hitter – voted the AL’s starting DH – and a pitcher. In 2021, he was the first player to be on the All-Star team as a hitter and pitcher, and now he’s done it three times just…THINK ABOUT THAT!”, Sarah Langs, one of MLB’s most renowned stats experts, tweeted.
For the third year in a row, Shohei Ohtani is in as both a hitter – voted the AL’s starting DH – and a pitcher. In 2021, he was the first player to be on the All-Star team as a hitter and pitcher, and now he’s done it three times
just…THINK ABOUT THAT!
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) July 2, 2023
The best thing of all is that Ohtani is really deserving of his spots, both of them.
As a hitter, he is slashing an incredible .306/.390/.670 with 31 home runs, 61 runs scored, 68 RBI, and even 11 stolen bases.
His OPS is a career-high 1.060 at this point, and just when we thought he peaked as a batter in 2021, he had another gear in him.
His performance as a pitcher has been ace-worthy, too.
He has an amazing 3.02 ERA in 95.1 innings, and we you factor in his 127 strikeouts, you realize just how dominant he has been from the mound, too.
The Angels are lucky enough to have a true workhorse and a middle-of-the-order masher in just one player.
Baseball hasn’t seen a player like Ohtani and it probably never will again.
No one has been as good at both activities at the same time, and that’s what makes him special.
NEXT: Mike Trout Comments On Shohei Ohtani’s Free Agency
