By now, almost every MLB fan is familiar with Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani.
Two-way players in baseball are exceptionally rare, and when they do come along, very few end up panning out like Ohtani has.
At the plate, the Angels star leads the league in home runs with 31 and has a ridiculous 1.070 OPS.
Shohei Ohtani breaks a tie with Mike Trout for most first-half homers by an Angel. pic.twitter.com/97Jjq2BKWR
— MLB (@MLB) July 3, 2021
On the mound, he is 3-1 with a 3.60 ERA.
Stats like these are well-documented.
But what are some Ohtani stats that have gone unnoticed this season?
3. His 5.2 WAR
Although Ohtani is the runaway favorite for the American League MVP award, it seems like not enough people are talking about his current WAR pace.
Entering Monday, Ohtani had a 5.2 WAR, putting him on track for a ridiculous 10.8 mark by the end of the season.
For reference, just two players this century have finished a season with a higher WAR: Barry Bonds (who did it twice) and Pedro Martinez.
When Ohtani first cracked into the league, one of the most exciting thoughts was the possibility of a guy being able to accumulate WAR both at the plate and on the mound.
By doing so, Ohtani is essentially able to combine two seasons’ worth of WAR into one campaign.
He currently has a 3.6 WAR as a hitter and a 1.6 WAR as a pitcher.
He is a fascinating player in countless ways, but especially as it relates to this statistic.
Ohtani’s ability to rack up WAR will likely keep him in the MVP conversation for many, many years.
2. His 3.74 FIP
In case anyone had any doubts about Ohtani’s ability to sustain his success on the mound, his 3.74 FIP should settle any concerns.
The righty has managed an impressive 3.60 ERA through 12 starts this season, but ERA doesn’t always tell the whole story.
ERA coupled with FIP, however, tends to be a pretty good indication of whether success is sustainable.
And Ohtani’s FIP suggests that his ERA is right where it should be.
As a reminder, FIP only takes non-defensive-dependent factors into consideration.
Those factors are home runs, walks, hit-by-pitches, and strikeouts.
The 27-year-old has fanned 83 batters over 60 innings and has allowed just six home runs on the year.
His FIP gets a big boost for those two reasons.
Of the FIP factors listed, the only area where Ohtani could greatly improve is limiting the free passes.
He issues an average of 5.3 walks per nine innings.
1. His League-Leading Barrel Rate
Ohtani murders baseballs.
He consistently goes yard on some of the hardest hit balls you will ever see, and his ability to do so is reflected in his barrel rate.
The second home run of the evening for Shohei Ohtani! pic.twitter.com/MYQ4mjPukL
— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) June 30, 2021
A barrel is defined as a batted ball with an exit velocity of at least 98 MPH and a launch angle between 26-30 degrees (although the range for an acceptable launch angle increases varies depending on the exit velocity).
Barrels are important because they almost always mean good things.
According to MLB.com, barreled balls yielded an .822 batting average and 2.386 OPS during the 2016 MLB season.
As mentioned, Ohtani excels in this department.
Roughly 15.4 percent of his plate appearances end in a barreled ball, a rate that leads the league with no close second.
It should come as no surprise that he is also fourth in average exit velocity at 93.9 MPH and tied for first in hard-hit rate at 56.8 percent.
NEXT: 3 Pitchers Angels Can Target To Salvage 2021 Season
W Mercer says
Hadn’t seen barreled stat before.. his is scary good. Will be interesting to follow if he improves BB numbers if his arm stays healthy.