Los Angeles Angels super star Shohei Ohtani who currently leads the Major Leagues in home runs (35) and in the top 3 in RBI's and strike outs as well as leading the Angels in six categories of hitting and pitching has his sights on being with a winning team and the Angels fail to qualify - (Mogam Kariya - Photo)

It is rumored that two way super talent Shohei Ohtani will be up for sale and is worth a contract of $50 million per season - (Vera26 photo) Sports Notes: Will the LA Angels PAY SHOHEI OHTANI WHAT HE'S WORTH?

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SPORTS NOTES Part 2 - STUPID ANGELS DON'T DESERVE OHTANI

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For the Los Angeles Angels it appears that it's too late to keep Shohei Ohtani since their front office failed to take care of their $#!t so they have to get off their money pot… PLUS… THEY HAVE LOST THE PLOT! - THIS DAY IN THE NBA - NBA's ALL TIME BEST PLAYERS 1st and 2nd TEAMS

Saturday July 22, 2023

SHOEI'S TALENT 2 BIG 4 ANGELS TEAM

I mean really man, how stupid can the Los Angeles Angels be by not understanding the value of Shohei Ohtani perhaps the greatest baseball talent ever. It seems that the front office is living in Stupid Ville when it comes to understanding what they have in their midst.

At the moment the 29-year-old super star talent is leading the major leagues in home runs with 35. He's 3rd in RBI's with 76. That's just one side of the young man from the far East.

The other half is his pitching skills. He was off to a swift start with a 6-2 record but a nagging blister on his pitching hand has tampered with his control. Recently he has fallen to a team's best 8-5 record BUT… is in 4th place in the majors with 148 strikeouts.

Pundits are abuzz making speculative comments about who would be interested in the All-star two way man and what he's worth. His value in today's market is a 10-year (or less) deal for $500 million or more. That's a bargain when you're getting two players at a cost of only $25 million per season each. He is due $30 million as he enters the free agent market.

The buzz was and is that the New York Yankees can afford and could use his talents. The Los Angeles Dodgers are also said to be thinking about it. Their problem is they have a poor track record in making decisions about Shohei. They were his first choice when he made himself available to the Major leagues following a fantastic four seasons (2013-2017) in the Japan professional league NPB (Nippon Pro Baseball).

The Dodgers brain trust, if you want to call it that, wanted Ohtani ONLY TO PITCH and he wasn't interested in doing that. From the beginning his terms were whatever team he signs with had to let him pitch and bat. He was resolute that he wanted to show what he could do. The Angels were smart enough to sign him.

The current problem is the Angels changed General Managers. The GM that signed Ohtani is now with the New York Mets. The irony is the Angels are financially strapped having made some poor decisions on signing players that haven't produced nor due to injuries, don't play.

One player that shall remain nameless was signed for over $30 million a season. Since he's been with the team for the past 3½ years he's averaged being on the injured list for over 100 games per season and he's currently injured and on track to have another 100 games that he will not be available.

The other big payroll player is Mike Trout who was signed as the highest paid Angel player in their history for over $400 million over 10 years.

That is the benchmark mark number for Ohtani's value. Unfortunately Trout has been plagued with injuries and has missed a number of games since his record breaking contract was signed. The difference is when he plays he contributes and continues to be an All-Star who is respected as being one of the best players in the game today.

It's the Trout value that is the scale in which Ohtani's value should be determined. Trout can't pitch. With all due respect, he is only ½ the player that Ohtani is. This is not to discredit Trout but… it is a reality and a reality that the Angels top brass can't seem to grasp.

Ohtani hits more home runs than Trout. He also leads the Angels in hitting and pitching stats.

I have been a fan of Ohtani since he entered the league. On December 8, 2017, Ohtani agreed to a deal with the Los Angeles Angels. The deal was finalized the next day. On December 13, it was revealed that Ohtani was diagnosed with a first-degree UCL sprain in his right elbow. He received a platelet-rich plasma injection to treat the injury.

Since my coverage of the league and the Angels from Angel Stadium 1989-98 they have won a World Series under then coach Mike Scioscia who managed Ohtani when he first entered the league. Scioscia was supportive of Ohtani's playing two ways.

In 2018 Ohtani ended his first major league season with a batting average of .285, a .361 on-base-percentage, 22 home runs, 61 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases. In 10 starts on the mound, he notched a 4-2 record with a 3.31 ERA, 1.16 walks plus hits per inning pitched (WHIP) and 63 strikeouts. His .564 slugging percentage ranked seventh overall among MLB players with at least 350 plate appearances for this season.

Ohtani became the second-fastest Angels rookie to reach 20 home runs, and he joined Babe Ruth as the only MLB players with 10 pitching appearances and 20 homers in a season. He also won the American League Rookie of the Month award twice; in April and in September. On November 12, he was named the American League Rookie of the Year.

The super star had success from the start of his career in America. It was what could be described as a sweet and sour season in which he experienced it all. He went through the pain to obtain his gain to fame.

On June 6, Ohtani left the game after a blister on the same finger. Two days later, he was placed on the disabled list for the first time in his MLB career due to a Grade 2 UCL sprain in his right elbow. He received platelet-rich plasma and stem-cell injections to treat the injury. That procedure failed to cure the problem.

Ohtani's arm trouble delayed his path to stardom. He could always throw hard with some pitches clocking over 100 MPH. He then underwent Thommy John surgery. That worked but the procedure takes year of rehab for a full recovery. The rehab process in rebuilding strength in your arm takes a tremendous amount of dedication, work and commitment.

Ohtani has done that and since that time has been on a tear to show exactly what he can do. The ball is now on the Angels court. The question is do they play ball and pay Ohtani what he's worth or will he walk and go with a team than can appreciate his skills and surround him with a strong group of players that can takes a load off his back that has largely been carrying the Angels team.

He has been compared to Babe Ruth who was also a great pitcher and hitter. Ruth was traded from the then Boston Red Sox to the NY Yankees. It was there that he broke out his HR hitting records. His 60 HR's in a then 156 game season is a record that continues to be the most respected record of all time. Since then, the league has expanded the season to now play 164 games.

Ohtani wants to win but unfortunately the Angels fail to qualify. He has conveyed that he loves the climate of Southern California. There are only three teams in Southern California, the Angels, Dodgers and San Diego Padres. If a warm climate is his priority they are his only choices.

Should he change his mind about playing for a team in a city that has warm weather, the Yankees have the talent to surround him with a very gifted squad and they are winners. He would then qualify as being the second coming of Ruth. He would also be a teammate of the current HR record holder Aaron Judge who's 62 HR's last season broke Roger Maris' 61.

For the Angels it appears that it's too late since their front office failed to take care of their $#!t so they have to get off the pot, PLUS… THEY HAVE LOST THE PLOT!

Part 3: TRINITY RODMAN & MORE OHTANI

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