Can Shohei Ohtani’s struggles with runners in scoring position be attributed to the Ippei Mizuhara scandal?
When Shohei Ohtani signed a ten-year deal worth $700 million to join the Los Angeles Dodgers, he was thrust into the spotlight. He was already the most popular MLB player by a wide margin, but now he was being paid like it and was put onto a team with all sorts of lofty expectations. This is just the start of what Ohtani is dealing with.
Out of nowhere, the MLB world was sent into a frenzy when word got out that there was a “massive theft” involving Ippei Mizuhara and Shohei Ohtani. Mizuhara was Ohtani’s interpreter ever since he made his MLB debut back in 2018 and had become a bit of a beloved public figure. It’s safe to say his status among the general public has since changed since details emerged explaining what Mizuhara did to Ohtani.
Ohtani was already facing pressure due to the circumstances of his joining the powerhouse Dodgers, and now this Mizuhara scandal is in the spotlight. Could it be hurting him at least in certain situations at the plate?
Is the Ippei Mizuhara scandal hurting Shohei Ohtani at the plate
Ohtani’s numbers to begin his Dodgers career are still quite impressive as he’s hitting .360 with a 1.040 OPS through his first 21 games, but his numbers with runners in scoring position have taken a major dip.
This season, Ohtani has just one hit in 19 at-bats with men in scoring position. That’s not what the Dodgers need or expect from him. It’s going to have to change at some point.
Struggles when men in scoring position has not been the norm for Ohtani who has hit .288 with a 1.031 OPS in those spots in his career. Perhaps it’s just early-season struggles from Shohei, or maybe it’s deeper. Maybe the scandal on top of the pressure he’s already dealing with is getting to him.
Once that all gets settled and time goes on, it’ll get out of the spotlight and Ohtani will almost certainly settle in and dominate for a really good Dodgers team. He just has to hope that comes sooner than later.
