The world of baseball has been predominantly ruled by Americans over the years. From George Herman ‘Babe’ Ruth to Wilber Joe ‘Bullet’ Rogan, the list bleeds stars and stripes. However, the last decade has seen the rise of Shohei Ohtani, the Japanese baseball player who is considered to be one of the best in the modern era.
Known for his skill with both the ball and the bat in hand, Ohtani is the holder of numerous baseball records. His performances have pushed both experts and fans to draw comparisons with yesteryear legends. While such parallels are unjustified given the respective eras these players featured in, it is safe to say that Ohtani ranks in the pantheon of all-time greats.
Recently, the Asian player added another feather to his cap. The baseball sensation reached an agreement to join the Major League Baseball (MLB) outfit Los Angeles Dodgers in the grandest deal in the history of the sport. Various sources suggest that Ohtani’s reported contract surpasses the outlandish sums that sporting legends like Lionel Messi and LeBron James have commanded during their prime.
However, the deal hardly comes as a surprise to the followers of the sport. After becoming a free agent following the end of his six-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani quickly became a highly sought-after player by MLB teams. The move to the Dodgers simply put an end to all the speculations around the Japanese player’s future that has been going on for weeks.
Join us as we take you through Shohei Ohtani’s unbelievable salary, the terms of his contract, net worth, pitching stats, batting average, achievements and other highlights from his illustrious career.
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An overview of Shohei Ohtani’s pitching stats, records, batting average and other career highlights
His early days as a baseball player
Shohei Ohtani was born in Mizusawa, Iwate, Japan to Kayoko and Toru Ohtani on 5 July 1994. His mother was a national-level badminton player in high school and his father was an amateur baseball player, who played in the Japanese Industrial League. Shohei Ohtani was coached in baseball by his father and exhibited an aptitude for the game at an early age. He started playing baseball in his second year of elementary school.
Even though he had the opportunity to play for the big-city powerhouses in the Japanese high school landscape such as Osaka or Yokohama, Ohtani chose to stay local and went to the Hanamaki Higashi High School in Iwate Prefecture. Besides baseball, he also competed for the school in swimming. Ohtani’s high school coach, Hiroshi Sasaki, mentioned that the baseball player was a competent swimmer who could have made it to the Olympics.
Ohtani set a Japanese baseball high school record for a fastball in 2012 when he clocked a speed of 160 kilometres per hour (kmph). The record has since been rewritten by Roki Sasaki, who registered a fastball at the pace of 163 kmph. Ohtani also participated in the 2012 18U Baseball World Championship.
Ohtani’s entry into the world of professional baseball
While he expressed the desire to pursue a career in MLB after generating interest from top teams of the league, Shohei Ohtani signed for Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) side Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in 2012. He made his debut for the Hokkaido-based team on 29 March 2013. Making an impact on the NPB straightaway, he finished the season with a 3-0 record in 11 starts. However, his time on the field was curtailed by a right ankle sprain and right cheekbone fracture. Ohtani was also selected for a Pacific League roster spot for the 2013 All-Star Game.
During the July 2014 Mazda All-Star Game, Ohtani threw a fastball at a speed of 162 kmph. In the process, he set the record for the fastest official pitch thrown by a Japanese pitcher. Additionally, the jersey he wore in that match was sold at a whopping USD 17,000, making it the top seller at the 2014 All-Star Charity Auction.
In 2016, the Japanese baseball player became the runaway winner of the Pacific League Most Valuable Player Award as he bagged 253 out of 254 first-place votes. On 1 November 2017, MLB and NPB reached an agreement for Ohtani to play in the United States of America. However, being under 25 at the time, the Japanese player was subjected to international signing rules, which limited his earnings to a rookie salary scale. Ohtani eventually signed for the Los Angeles Angels for a USD 2.3 million bonus.
His move to the Major League Baseball
On 1 April 2018, Shohei Ohtani made his pitching debut for the Los Angeles Angels. He registered six strikeouts in six innings while allowing three runs to clinch his first MLB win. Five days later, the Japanese player hit his third home run in three days and became the first Angels rookie to do so. Ohtani would go on to break the record for the most home runs by a Japanese rookie as he finished his debut season in MLB with 22 home runs, a batting average of 0.285 and 10 stolen bases.
He also became the second-fastest Angels rookie to reach 20 home runs and joined Babe Ruth to become the only two MLB players with 10 pitching appearances and 20 home runs in a season. On 12 November 2018, Ohtani was named the American League Rookie of the Year.
Ohtani became the first Japanese player to hit for the cycle in the history of MLB on 13 June 2019. For the unversed, in baseball, hitting for the cycle refers to a player hitting a single, a double, a triple and a home run in the same game. However, all his achievements on the field could not cloud the fact that Ohtani’s initial years in the MLB were plagued with injuries, because of which he had to spend a considerable time away from the game. The injuries also impacted his performances big time, since he lost his ability to pitch the ball the way he could in his earlier days.
Ohtani’s rise as one of the best in the world
The lows of 2019 and 2020 forced Shohei Ohtani to introduce changes in his lifestyle, diet and training. In the meantime, he also signed a fresh two-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels worth USD 8.5 million. The efforts he put outside the field bore fruits as the Japanese baseball player was named the Los Angeles Angels MVP and the Nick Adenhart Pitcher of the Year in 2021.
Additionally, Ohtani was unanimously voted as the American League MVP. In the process, he became the 23rd pitcher and the first designated hitter to win the award. Ohtani was also recognised for two Guinness World Records titles in 2021 — the first MLB player to achieve 100-plus innings and record 100-plus strikeouts as a pitcher, and 100-plus runs batted in (RBI), hits and runs as a batter in a single season, and the first player to start the MLB All-Star Game as a pitcher and a designated hitter.
Interestingly, in 2021 Shohei Ohtani was offered Japan’s national honour, the People’s Honour Award, by the Japanese Prime Minister, but the player rejected it as he felt it was “too early” for such a recognition.
Ohtani’s greatest moment for the national team came in 2023 at the World Baseball Classic, a tournament he was forced to withdraw from in 2017 owing to an ankle injury. In the championship match against the hosts, the United States of America, Ohtani earned the save (a save is credited to a pitcher who finishes the game for the winning team) and handed Japan its third title in the tournament’s history. The Japanese superstar himself was named the tournament’s MVP. He capped off 2023 with his second American League MVP award and his third Los Angeles Angels MVP crown.
Shohei Ohtani’s net worth: All about his salary and endorsement deals
How much is Shohei Ohtani’s net worth?
Being one of the greatest baseball players of all time, it is no surprise that someone of Shohei Ohtani’s calibre commands a significant net worth. According to Celebrity Net Worth, the Japanese player, in 2023, has a valuation of an estimated USD 50 million. However, the figure is expected to change in the coming days with Ohtani signing a record deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
What is Shohei Ohtani’s annual salary?
Reports suggest that the new contract, which Shohei Ohtani has signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, will run for 10 years, and is worth a staggering USD 700 million. This translates to an annual salary of USD 70 million.
Ohtani’s contract with the Dodgers broke the record for the biggest MLB contract, which was previously held by Mike Trout owing to his massive USD 426.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels in 2019 (Trout’s contract is for 12 months).
Brands endorsed by Ohtani
While a lion’s share of his net worth is attributed to his earnings from his professional career, Shohei Ohtani earns a sizeable amount from the brands he shares sponsorship deals with. As of 2023, the Japanese reportedly earns USD 35 million to USD 40 million from his endorsement deals, which is also the highest by any player in the league.
Ohtani has around 13 brands in his endorsement portfolio. These include the likes of New Balance, Fanatics, Topps, Panini, Hugo Boss, Kose, Porsche Japan, Mitsubishi Bank, Japan Airlines and Seiko, among others.
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(Hero and Featured Images Credits: Courtesy Shohei Ohtani/Instagram)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
– How much is Shohei Ohtani’s salary?
According to his new deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani’s annual salary stands at a massive USD 70 million.
– What are the terms of Shohei Ohtani’s LA Dodgers contract?
Shohei Ohtani has signed a contract with MLB side Los Angeles Dodgers for a period of 10 years worth USD 700 million.
