Watching this (and full youtube video of his 3-hit first home game) just makes me sad it may be over soon. Youtube has some comments from 5y ago saying “I hope he can help Trout get to the WS”.
Always will root for him and hope we turn this season around, but man did this org fuck it up. Sell the team please.
For his 29th birthday (and for your viewing pleasure), I give you the broadcast booth’s view of Shohei Ohtani’s 1st @MLB home run. It was pretty cool. #OhtaniSan pic.twitter.com/XOui9qfuF3
— Victor Rojas (@VictorRojas) July 5, 2023
1 comment
It sucks that it might be coming to an end. And the sad thing is every Angels fan wouldn’t blame Ohtani for ONE SECOND if he decided to leave.
Shohei has done everything humanly possible and then some to help this team win. He hits 30+ HRs, steals bases, and goes out to the mound on zero days rest from the day before and pitches 6-7 innings and is undoubtedly the best pitcher on the staff
And despite his superhuman efforts, the Angels HAVE NOT HAD A WINNING RECORD IN ANY SEASON that he’s been here
2018: 80-82
2019: 72-90
2020: 26-34
2021: 77-85
2022: 73-89
It’s so frustrating as a fan and I can’t imagine how frustrating it must be for Shohei doing all he can and yet the Angels still can’t sniff the playoffs.
The Angels haven’t had a winning record since 2015. That’s absolutely embarrassing. I mean look at teams with sub $100 million payrolls this year that are about to make the playoffs:
The Marlins, Reds, Orioles, Rays (who make the playoffs every year with a sub $100M payroll)
Even teams in years past like the A’s and Guardians have had more success than us and yet their owners don’t seem to really try or care about the playoffs.
Hell look at our division and the Rangers finally started spending money in 2022 and are a lock to make the playoffs this year.
I know the Angels have improved their farm system in recent years and have added more depth this past offseason. It felt like things were finally coming together in June before injuries derailed the season.
And I know it’s not over but none of us fans have much confidence in this team making it to the postseason and for good reason. The pitching has started to fall off and injuries to the lineup have really put a dent in our ability to score runs at a consistently high level (we somehow lose the ability to hit with runners on base)
If I’m the Angels front office…I have an honest conversation with Shohei at the end of July and ask how he feels about coming back next year. Things probably won’t look great by then and I would want to do right by him.
Shohei didn’t come to the United States to make a ton of money. He came to win a World Series. He’s made that clear since day 1. And he already makes over $30 million a year through dozens of endorsement deals alone (I checked recently and it’s insane how many companies he has deals with in Japan and the US)
I will probably cry if he goes to a team like the Dodgers or Astros. But I know how bad Shohei wants to win. And those teams almost certainly give him a better shot than the Angels.
It’s a bittersweet feeling. But all I can say is it’s been a fun 6-7 seasons watching him do unbelievable things wearing an Angels jersey