WASHINGTON — Shohei Ohtani will be on a plane to Toronto on Thursday – and this time it really isn’t a drill.
“I was just following the news,” Ohtani said through his interpreter when he was reminded of the drama last December when media reports had him signing with the Toronto Blue Jays, prompting a surge in flight-tracker web site traffic as a private jet made its way from Orange County to Toronto.
“I knew I wasn’t on that flight. So I was curious too.”
Ohtani acknowledged that he did indeed consider the Blue Jays as a landing spot during his free agency last winter. He will make it there this weekend for a series with the Dodgers, stirring thoughts among Toronto fans about what might have been.
“In regards to the offseason, I was as surprised as any fans, in terms of the news that was going around,” Ohtani said. “But I did meet with the Blue Jays organization. And the impression that I got was it was a really, really great organization. The fans are really good. The city, too. So I’m really looking forward to going to Toronto.”
Ohtani’s first 25 games in Dodger blue – not Jays blue – have been a soaring success. He entered Wednesday’s game against the Washington Nationals leading the majors in hits (36), batting average (.364), slugging percentage (.677), OPS (1.107), doubles (11) and total bases (67).
In his last at-bat Tuesday night, Ohtani hit a home run that left his bat at 118.7 mph – the hardest-hit ball in the majors this season and the hardest hit by any Dodgers player since Statcast began tracking exit velocity in 2015. In his first at-bat Wednesday, he followed it with a double to the center field wall that left his bat at 115.6 mph. It was his MLB-leading 51st hard-hit ball (any ball with an exit velocity of 95 mph or higher).
“With Shohei it’s not just the slug, it’s how hard he consistently hits the baseball,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I can’t imagine a player hitting it that often that hard consistently. That’s what’s remarkable to me. … Everything he hits, it seems like it’s 110 (mph) off the bat – versus left, versus right. From where he was a year ago to be where he is right now is truly remarkable.”
Roberts is referring to the major elbow surgery that Ohtani had last fall and how quickly he has returned to full strength as a hitter. For his part, Ohtani is not surprised.
“My rehab on the throwing side is ongoing, but my rehab for hitting has been done for a while,” said Ohtani, whose throwing at this point is limited to 50 to 60 throws from about 40 feet every other day. “So it’s really about being able to maintain the intensity and just being prepared for the game.”
After his first elbow surgery when he couldn’t pitch in 2019 and only threw 1⅔ innings in 2020, Ohtani’s hitting suffered. He batted .259 with a .793 OPS with only 25 home runs in 150 games over those two seasons.
He said that had more to do with the knee surgery he had in September 2019. Now, he said he can fully focus on being as productive as possible as a hitter.
“I have more time in general, so there’s benefit to that,” he said of just being a one-way player for now. “But at the same time … I am preparing the same way I’ve been preparing, in a sense. That hasn’t changed. But it’s been much easier to be able to maintain my conditioning without having to put a lot of effort into the pitching side.”
All of Ohtani’s success over the past month has come in the shadow of the scandal involving his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. Since his March 25 extended statement, Ohtani has kept his comments on the situation brief.
“The investigation is currently still going on, so I can’t really say much about that,” he said Wednesday. “But it made me really realize how supportive my teammates, the organization, the staff have been towards me. It’s just allowed me to really reflect on how grateful I am to be surrounded by them.”
GRATEROL DOWN
Roberts said right-hander Brusdar Graterol has once again stopped his throwing program due to “a sore arm.” Graterol started the season on the injured list with shoulder inflammation and was moved to the 60-day IL so he is not eligible to return until mid-May. But Roberts indicated Graterol is not even playing catch and there is no certainty about when he will resume throwing.
“Right now, he’s just in the mode of laying low,” Roberts said. “I don’t know when he’s going to pick up a ball. It’s going to be a long program.”