Changes are forthcoming for Major League Baseball in 2023.
The shift will be restricted, a pitch clock will be instituted, and larger bases will be used on the field.
The distance between bases will be 4.5 feet less than it was in 2022.
That can only mean trouble for teams having to deal with Los Angeles Angels‘ star Shohei Ohtani.
In addition to pitching like a true No. 1 starter and hitting like Babe Ruth, Ohtani can also run the bases quite affectively.
He already is able to get down to first base faster than most players throughout the league, and a video on Twitter shows just how fast he can be on the basepaths.
Shohei Ohtani already gets to first base faster than any other regular MLB player and next year the distance between bases will be 4.5" less than it was this year. 😮 pic.twitter.com/aPEqotfWQ8
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) November 1, 2022
Ohtani Shows Off The Wheels
If you hadn’t guessed, Shohei Ohtani is simply unstoppable and may just be the best player in all of baseball.
Everybody knows that he’s a generational talent, the kind not seen since the likes of the Great Bambino himself.
But there’s more to Ohtani than just hitting and pitching.
And with a shorter distance between bases, teams are going to have a tough time getting Ohtani out once he sprints out of the box.
The video shows a routine ground ball that a first baseman can usually take himself.
With most other players, that would be an easy out.
But Ohtani was busting out of the box and was in complete control the whole time.
There was never any chance to beat him to the bag.
Now, with bigger bases and a shorter distance between them, that will be even harder.
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