Olney on Ohtani's season: 'Closest we've seen to Ruth as a hitter'

ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney joined First Up on TSN1050 Toronto on Tuesday, where he discussed the remarkable season Los Angeles Angels' pitcher and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani is currently enjoying, and where it ranks historically.

Ohtani, 28, joined the Angels ahead of the 2018 season after he was posted by the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of the Nippon Professional Baseball league. 

Originally billed as the 'Japanese Babe Ruth' because of his ability to hit and pitch at a professional level, Ohtani did not disappoint - he earned AL Rookie of the Year honours in 2018, and reached new heights by winning the AL MVP award in 2021. 

"I remember talking to you guys, back when we first started hearing the name Shohei Ohtani, that he was going to potentially be the next Babe Ruth as a two-way player," said Olney.

Ruth is one of the hallowed names of baseball lore, and is a common choice for greatest baseball player to ever live. He was the last impactful two-way player, meaning he regularly started games as a pitcher and would hit in the lineup when not pitching. 

In his 22 major-league seasons, Ruth hit .342 with 714 home runs and 2,214 runs batted in. His lifetime slugging (.690) and on-base plus slugging (1.164) percentages are still the best in MLB history, 88 years after he retired. 

However, he only pitched in 10 of his 22 seasons, and pitched more than 30 innings in just five of those, from 1915-1919. 

Ohtani has now pitched and hit extensively in four of his six major league seasons, which has Olney drawing comparisons to Ruth.

"As it turned out, Ohtani's been, as a two-way player, far better than anything Ruth ever was," he said. 

In his last 13 games, Ohtani has hit .426 with an OPS of 1.626 - he has nine HRs in 47 at-bats in that span. 

"What we're seeing right now is the best Ohtani as a hitter that we've ever seen. He's the best hitter in baseball right now."

In a four-game series against the Texas Rangers last week, Ohtani hit .583 (seven-for-12) with seven walks, four HRs and seven RBI, drawing rave reviews from Rangers' manager Bruce Bochy. 

"Bochy texted me saying '[Ohtani's] hitting the ball where right-handed hitters don't hit the ball," said Olney. 

Olney added that Ohtani has had issues as a left-handed hitter with left-handed pitching, reminiscent of some of the best left-handed hitters in the majors, that have started to disappear as well. 

"There have been talks in the past about Ohtani, who, as a left-handed hitter, can sometimes spin off the ball, spin out of the box, [pull the ball too often], especially against left-handed pitching," said Olney.

"[Philadelphia Phillies right fielder and current NL MVP] Bryce Harper has had that issue sometimes against left-handed pitching in his career ... Ohtani's not doing that anymore, he's driving the ball to left-centre field, taking it through the middle of the field."

Ohtani, through 72 games played, is hitting .300 with a league-leading 24 HRs and 58 RBI. The Angels, at 41-33, currently occupy the second wild card spot in the American League. Ohtani is still seeking his first trip to the MLB post-season.