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Clayton Kershaw is a fan of his new teammate Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani has enjoyed a tremendous start to the 2024 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. In fact, Kershaw believes Ohtani is playing even better with the Dodgers than he did with the Los Angeles Angels, and it is important to remember that Shohei won two MVP awards while in Anaheim.
“I don’t remember him being even this good in Anaheim,” Kershaw recently said on the Dodgers broadcast, via Rob Friedman. “You look up and you watch the highlights… I don’t remember him ever being on this kind of tear. This is unbelievable. Every ball that he hits, he’s just so strong. I don’t get it, I don’t think anybody does… It’s just amazing.”
Ohtani would be in the MVP conversation without question if the season ended today. He is currently slashing .370/.434/.705/1.135. His batting average, slugging, and OPS all lead the league. Additionally, Ohtani leads the league with 11 home runs, 14 doubles, 54 hits, 103 total bases, and a 220 OPS-plus.
Kershaw happy to have Ohtani on Dodgers
Kershaw actually fared well against Ohtani before Shohei became his teammate. The image above shows Ohtani getting a base-hit against Kershaw, but that came in the MLB All-Star Game. Ohtani went 0-11 in regular season at-bats against the Dodgers Hall of Famer, via StatMuse.
However, Ohtani hit .263 with 21 hits and three home runs in 30 games against the Dodgers during his time with the Angels. Those numbers are respectable but they do not jump off the page. Nevertheless, Ohtani was one of the best players in the entire sport in Anaheim, so Kershaw and LA are happy to have him on their side.
Ohtani has made quite an impression with his regular season performance so far.
Max Muncy echoes Clayton Kershaw’s comments
Dodgers infielder Max Muncy made an appearance on Foul Territory on Tuesday and shared his thoughts on Shohei Ohtani.
“Actually getting to play with Shohei, it’s really cool,” Muncy said. “When he was on the Angels, it felt like every other night you were seeing a highlight of something that he did that no one had ever done before. Now that I’m playing with him everyday it’s like every at-bat he’s doing something that I’ve never seen before… It’s absolutely insane what this guy can do on a baseball field.”
Muncy also made the note that it is only May. He’s excited to see how Ohtani will perform as the season progresses.
Shohei Ohtani may end up winning another MVP award despite not pitching in 2024. In previous seasons, his hitting and pitching statistics have led to him winning the award. In 2024, however, Shohei is establishing himself as one of the best pure hitters in all of MLB.
More must-reads:
- Giants All-Star pitcher suffers setback in recovery from injury
- Dodgers add recently acquired left-hander to active roster
- The 'No. 1 overall pick in the MLB Draft' quiz
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