Shohei Ohtani, ridiculous baseball specimen, should never be normalized

I’ve said it a million times, but it can’t be said enough: We should never normalize Shohei Ohtani.

What he’s done so far in his MLB career is as far from normal as it gets. What he did at the World Baseball Classic — dominate on the mound and on the plate, and earn tournament MVP — might be considered somewhat normal if it was a high school competition. But this was only against a collection of the world’s best baseball players and Ohtani proved once again that he is the most wonderfully abnormal baseball player on the planet.

MORE: I’m a full WBC convert, and so should you (unless you hate good baseball)

His most recent WBC numbers: .435/.606/.739; four doubles and a homer. Also: 1.86 ERA and 11 punchouts in 9 2/3 innings. And he easily beat Mike Trout, his Angels teammate and one of the greatest hitters of all time, to win the championship for Japan.

Not. Normal.

So again, for anyone who somehow doesn’t know or is in a state of denial or disbelief: Ohtani is the best baseball player on planet earth, and he’s nowhere near it. He’s a ridiculous baseball specimen, the stuff of video games and outrageous Hollywood screenplays. He’s the perfect baseball weapon, and it’s not unreasonable to wonder if he’s the most talented baseball player of all time.

Best of all, WBC 2023 was just the beginning for Ohtani. He’s got the entire MLB season left to do his thing, so assuming he stays healthy, we should have 25-30 chances to see him dominate his arm and at least 550 chances to watch him do it with his Racquet dominates.

Ohtani is already the betting favorite for AL MVP. Were it not for Aaron Judge’s historic season in 2022, Ohtani would likely only have become the second player in history to win three straight MVPs (Barry Bonds won four straight from 2001 to 2004). But it will take a surprising historic season to snatch that accolade from Ohtani in 2023 and beyond. Because as long as he performs at standard Ohtani level, there can be no other MVP.

MORE: The US-Japan showdown in the title game, how it happened

Seeing Ohtani perform in the WBC — the brightest spotlight he’s ever played under — gave us a taste of what it would be like to see him in the MLB postseason.

But alas, he plays for the Angels, so his October/November journey to meaningful baseball will likely have to pass through a different city when he signs with a new team for 2024, barring an Angels in the Outfield-style miracle. in Anaheim this season.

In the meantime, baseball fans, check out Ohtani every chance you get. Pay attention. Appreciate what you see. If you think he’s overrated, then you just don’t get it. If anything, it’s underrated.

There will likely be other two-way MLB players in the years to come. But there will never be another Shohei Ohtani.

He’s a lot of things – super talented, goofy-dominant, crazy-funny – but he’s definitely not normal.