Shohei Ohtani might not be with his Los Angeles Angels teammates for the rest of the season, but that doesn’t take away the fact that he’s made an impact on them. And then some.
MLB.com’s Angels beat reporter Rhett Bollinger talked to various members of the team about their time with the two-way phenom.
It didn’t disappoint.
From All-Star Angels reliever Carlos Estévez: “I told him I really respect what he does, and it’s really amazing to see a guy do this. And just the effort he puts in every day. I just told him, ‘Don’t change, be the same guy.’”
Ohtani’s locker had been cleared out and replaced on Friday night and it was discovered on Saturday that he had been placed on the injured list with an oblique injury and will miss the rest of the season.
Starting pitcher Patrick Sandoval: “It was a blessing to watch him grow and become the player he is.”
His catcher Logan O’Hoppe: “Those are days I didn’t take for granted,” O’Hoppe said. “I learned a lot from him. When he was pitching, it was killing me not to be back there and catching. But I got a front-row seat for it. And I’m grateful I got to see his best.”
Angels manager Phil Nevin said he wants nothing more than Ohtani to return to the team, but truly — who wouldn’t want him to return to their team?
Back in August, his former teammate, Alex Cobb, said his discipline stood out and he knew Ohtani was born to be the best in the game. He dedicates everything to it, takes on a huge workload and remains humble in the process.
The former AL MVP and three-time All-Star becomes a free agent this offseason, and you know he will be getting paid very, very well.
