Saturday, February 15, 2025
Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2025
The Los Angeles Dodgers look forward to having Shohei Ohtani as a two-way player. In 2024, Ohtani was only a fantastic DH when he won the National League MVP. Now the Dodgers are ready for him to be an ace of their starting rotation and hit at least thirty home runs in the 2025 season.
Ohtani hurled a 14-pitch bullpen session on Saturday, which impressed Dave Roberts. He threw fastballs between 92 and 94 mph. In September 2023, Ohtani had a version of Tommy John surgery. He spent the 2024 season rehabbing his right elbow.
During the 2024 World Series, Ohtani separated his left shoulder. After the World Series, he underwent shoulder surgery, which pushed back his Dodger pitching debut until sometime in May 2025, when the Dodgers will go to a six-man starting rotation.
Ohtani has a career ERA of 3.01. Though he has 38 wins and 19 losses, many baseball-knowledgeable pundits think Ohtani will eventually win a Cy Young award. He has had two right elbow surgeries. He needs to learn how to stay healthy for several seasons.
If Ohtani can recapture his talent as a pitcher, he can dominate the National League. His fastball can top out at 102 mph. He has a devastating splitter, a great slider, and a good curveball that he threw occasionally.
If Ohtani can rebound from his second Tommy John style surgery, Ohtani will play an important role in the Dodger starting rotation.
