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Shohei Ohtani 2022 Player Outlook: An Unmatchable Ceiling with an Appropriate Price Tag
The 2021 AL MVP had an unprecedented season in 2021. Shohei Ohtani lapped the field in terms of fantasy production, posting elite numbers on both sides of the ball. The result is a first-round pick for 2022. If you get his hitting and pitching production in one package, that price tag is more than justified. There are question marks if you have to split him up between two players, however. As a hitter, his .216 batting average and 29% K% over the season's final two months raises concerns. As a pitcher, 140 innings seems like a best-case scenario, which is prohibitive even if he repeats the elite 3.18 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 29% K% we saw in 2021. This is not to mention the obvious raised probability of injury given the workload he takes on. Ohtani the hitter gets a significant boost in OBP leagues with his 12.3% walk rate in 2021, and the value as a pitcher is heightened in leagues with strikeout rates rather than raw totals. If you get all of his stats with one draft pick, the value and upside easily trump the risk, and he is the clear number one overall pick in leagues with daily roster moves. However, if your league splits Ohtani up, he is likely too expensive (current ADP of 8).
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