What a Dodgers Executive Learned About Ohtani as a Scout #shoheiohtani #mlbjapan #baseball #dodgers
What a Dodgers executive learned about Otani as a scout. David Finley just completed in his ninth season as the Dodgers vice president. Scouting. He wasn’t the only voice in the team’s front office advocating to sign Shohi Otani two years ago. But perhaps no one had a more effusive assessment of Otani’s talent. Finley was on Otani when he worked for the Boston Red Sox, and Otani had yet to metriculate from high school in Japan. Back then, Otani was turning heads more for his pitching talent than his hitting talent. We knew he could hit, Finley told Forbes as John Parado. But hitting in high school is a lot different than hitting in pro ball. Absolutely. We didn’t know he was that good a hitter. Otani debuted in NPB, the top league in Japan as an 18-year-old in 2013. By 2014, he was putting up eyepopping numbers as a pitcher. Facing Japan’s best hitters, Otani went 114 with a 2.6 61 erra and struck out 179 in 155.1 innings in 2014. As a hitter, Otani slashed 274 33850 that season, beginning to show signs of the power that would come to convince scouts he could make it as a two-way player in Major League Baseball. Otani signed with the Angels in December 2017 and quickly made his mark as the 2018 American League Rookie of the Year. By the time he finalized a 10-year $700 million contract with the Dodgers in December 2023, Otani was a two-time MVP, a three-time all-star, and a two-time Silver Slugger award winner. “We knew how good he was, but he’s just been a gamecher,” Finley told Parado. He’s not just an MVP and a superstar, but signing him changed the franchise. It really did. I mean, we were good before, but to have him and how big a global superstar he is, it’s been awesome. And he’s a great guy, a funny, funny guy, a practical joker. Very respectful. Just a great guy, and obviously a unicorn to the sport. Otani was named National League MVP after leading the league in runs scored 146, slugging percentage 622, and OPS 1.04. 04 in 2025. As a pitcher, Otani went 1-1 with a 2.87 erra in 14 regular season starts. Otani was named MVP of the National League Championship Series after helping the Dodgers sweep the Milwaukee Brewers. In the sevename World Series victory over the Toronto Blue Jays, Otani hit three home runs and made two starts on the mound. Not only has Otani raised the bar for his own potential with each season, he’s raised the bar for every two-way player attempting to follow in his footsteps. If you like the video, please subscribe our channel and press the bell icon for latest update.
What a Dodgers Executive Learned About Ohtani as a Scout #shoheiohtani #mlbjapan #baseball #dodgers
