Shohei Ohtani's bat may be getting most of the attention, considering he, as a part-time pitcher — yes, a pitcher — is currently second in the league with 23 home runs and ranks third in the AL in both RBI and OPS. We've kind of grown used to it now, but it's so crazy to think about just how much talent that requires. And though his bat is stealing the show, it's kind of unfair to say that he's not getting attention for his pitching prowess. He's 3-1 through 11 starts, with a 2.58 ERA and 12.4 K/9, both of which are top-20 figures. It's insane. I really can't describe it any other way.
But perhaps he's not getting as much attention for his pitching because there's only one pitcher we should be talking about in the discussion of the best hurlers in the game. It's the guy with a league-best 14.6 K/9. It's the guy with an absurdly high 46.8 percent strikeout rate and an absurdly low 4.0 percent walk rate. It's the guy with a completely mind-blowing .113 batting average against. It's the guy with a — hold on to your seats — zero-point-five-zero ERA through 72 innings pitched.
It's Jacob deGrom, and if you haven't been living under a rock, you probably knew that. What you might not know, however, is that Hall of Fame pitcher and MLB analyst John Smoltz thinks that there's another player who could approach deGrom's dominance, if only he weren't also hitting 23 home runs and displaying offensive greatness that is unparalleled at his position.
Any ideas as to who he might be referring to?
"I'm gonna give you another outrageous statement about Ohtani," Smoltz said on "The Rich Eisen Show," available on Audacy. "Ohtani is a special player that I think everyone's rooting for... when I saw him come into the league, I didn't think he could stay healthy in the beginning because the task he was trying to pull off was monumental. He needed time on both sides, both from a pitching side and from a hitting side. You combine the both, and he's [been] this super, kind of freakish athlete that I hope we continue to see.
"But, if all he did was pitch, he would be on the trails of a Jacob deGrom. He's that good. He has that kind of stuff. He has wipeout, dominant, number one, ace stuff that the Angels need so bad. So, hypothetically, if they got to the postseason and you had to pick and choose what's the greatest asset for the club, based on their pitching needs, the greatest asset for me is his pitching ability."
Smoltz opines that though his hitting abilities are obviously impressive, the need to perform at such a high level on both fronts can tire out Ohtani and make him less effective overall.
"...You have this unbelievable talent, but his arm, for me, is so unique that I don't know he'll be given the opportunity to reach that level because of the dual job that he enjoys doing and they're showcasing," Smoltz explained.
Should the Angels make the playoffs — they're hovering around .500 right now — starting pitching will certainly be the biggest need to address. Ohtani is the only starter with a sub-3.00 ERA, and the only starter with a sub-3.50 ERA, and the only starter with a sub-4.00 ERA — unless you count Patrick Sandoval, who is off to a 3.69 ERA start after joining the team in May. But would you really want to take away the power threat that is Ohtani, even on a team that boasts a (hopefully healthy) Mike Trout, Anthony Rendon and Jared Walsh in the middle of the lineup?
I don't think that's gonna happen, especially with how well Ohtani has been pitching even while hitting remains a priority.
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