Shohei Ohtani is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher, designated hitter, and outfielder who plays for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball. He was born on July 5, 1994.
He had previously played for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of the Pacific League of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). The Fighters selected Ohtani first overall in the 2012 draft. From 2013 until 2017, he was an outfielder and pitcher for the Fighters in the NPB.
At 165 kph, Ohtani’s pitch was the fastest ever thrown by a Japanese pitcher in the NPB (102.5 mph). After the 2017 campaign, the Fighters released Ohtani to MLB, where he later signed with the Angels. He received the 2021 AL Most Valuable Player Award in addition to the 2018 AL Rookie of the Year Award.
Ohtani’s 2021 season was formally recognized as “historically significant” and a “major impact on the sport” by MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, as he became the first two-way player in the history of MLB with 10+ home runs and 20+ stolen bases as a hitter and 100+ strikeouts and 10+ pitching appearances as a pitcher in the same season while also holding at least a share of the major league lead in home runs in fourteen starts.
He was also the first player in MLB history to be an All-Star as both a pitcher and a hitter, as he was a starter in the 2021 All-Star Game in both capacities, as the AL’s manager-selected starting pitcher (earning the win) and fan-elected starting designated hitter.
The rule will enable Ohtani to remain in the game after he is done pitching at his customary designated hitter spot instead of being switched to a defensive position like the outfield, something that he did seven times in 2021.
On March 22, 2022, Major League Baseball introduced a new rule that allows for a pitcher in the batting order to remain in the game as a designated hitter after they are pulled from the pitching mound. The rule was colloquially dubbed the “Ohtani rule” because of Ohtani’s unique prowess as a two-way player.
Shohei Ohtani signed a 2-year / $8,500,000 contract with the Los Angeles Angels, including $8,500,000 guaranteed, and an annual average salary of $4,250,000. In 2022, Ohtani will earn a base salary of $5,500,000, while carrying a total salary of $5,500,000.