We wouldn’t be making a breakthrough discovery if we say that Los Angeles Angels‘ two-way star Shohei Ohtani has nasty stuff as a pitcher.
After all, he had a 9-2 record with a 3.18 ERA and 156 strikeouts in 130.1 innings last year with the halos.
The numbers speak for themselves.
However, it’s still impressive to see his pitches in action, especially from unconventional angles.
This angle of Shohei's slider 😳 pic.twitter.com/BvEKFrvKhd
— MLB (@MLB) March 31, 2022
The league’s official Twitter account posted a video of Ohtani’s slider in action in a spring training game against the Milwaukee Brewers.
The pitch, against a left-handed hitter, started on the outside part of the zone and then quickly slid into the zone for a called strike three.
The Movement On Ohtani’s Pitches Is Unfair
It’s really impossible to hit that after seeing it leave Ohtani’s hand, because the hitter, unless he is really skilled at watching the spin axis (the direction of the ball rotation), will think it’s a ball.
And it did start its trajectory as a ball, but because of his natural slider action, it entered the strike zone and by that point, there is nothing the batter can do.
The camera is also amazing and completely shows the pitch movement profile.
The most amazing thing of all is that the slider is actually Ohtani’s third-best pitch.
His fastball can reach triple digits and it has some of the so-called “rise” effect, making it very difficult for hitters to square.
And the splitter is perhaps Ohtani’s best pitch, with sudden tumbling action.
The slider is extremely good, though.
The Angels hope Ohtani can carry the rotation like he did last year, and for that, he will need to be healthy.
If he can avoid injuries, Los Angeles can dream with a postseason spot.
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