Has Shohei Ohtani peaked? Putting his quiet start at the plate into perspective

Yahoo Sports3h ago26 min readOriginal source →

TL;DR

Shohei Ohtani's recent performance has raised questions about whether he has peaked, as his hard-hit ball rate has dropped below 50% and his at-bats have been quieter. Despite his extraordinary achievements, fans are left wondering if he has plateaued.

Key points

Shohei Ohtani's hard-hit ball rate has dropped below 50%
His recent at-bats have been quieter than usual
Ohtani has achieved 50 home runs and 50 steals in a season
He pitches every six days, impacting his hitting performance
Speculation exists about whether he has peaked in his career

Shohei Ohtani

Perhaps it’s not a question worth pondering. After all, much of the joy watching Shohei Ohtani play baseball is wondering what he might do next, and if a ceiling even exists for the greatest player in the game’s history.

Yet with every passing game accompanied by quiet at-bats, with his hard-hit ball rate slipping below 50%, and with his every-six-days “hobby” of pitching absorbing more of his energy, it’s fair to at least wonder.

Has Shohei Ohtani plateaued?

Yeah, it seems like sacrilege. No player in the history of the game has ever thrown fastballs 100 mph and hit them 400 feet with regularity. Has produced 50 homers and 50 steals in a season. Nor put together arguably the greatest game in baseball history to clinch his team’s place in the World Series.

Pondering his peak wastes precious headspace contextualizing whatever facet of the game he’s currently dominating (Right now, it’s locking down opposing hitters). And besides, Ohtani doesn’t ebb and flow so much as he shape-shifts.

Watch Ohtani long enough and you realize he gives us what he can at a given time. Can’t pitch in 2024 due to Tommy John surgery recuperation?

Fine, Ohtani simply stole 59 bases – more than twice his previous career best – and hit 54 home runs to produce the first 50-50 season in major league history, capped by his first World Series title.

Fully stretched out as a pitcher, and possessing the freshest arm after the Dodgers played all the way into November to claim a second consecutive championship?

OK, then, Ohtani will simply not hit on days he pitches, pour more into his mound work and put up a major league-leading 0.97 ERA in his first seven starts this season.

It’s amazing stuff. Yet as Ohtani’s 32nd birthday approaches in July, it’s also fair to wonder if we may have seen his best work as a hitter and true two-way player.