Shohei Ohtani 2024 Player Outlook: Two-Way Spectacle Focuses On Hitting In Star-Studded Lineup
3 months agoLos Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher/designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (elbow) jumped ship in free agency this offseason, leaving a Los Angeles Angels team that hasn't reached the postseason since 2014 for the crosstown-rival club that's made 11 consecutive trips to the playoffs. Though Ohtani isn't expected to pitch again until 2025 after undergoing UCL surgery in late 2023, that didn't stop the Dodgers from signing the two-way wonder to a 10-year, $700 million deal, which constitutes the largest contract in baseball history. While Ohtani's 31.6% strikeout rate over 132 innings last season will be missed until he retakes the mound, his bat is expected to be available for Opening Day. Ohtani slashed .304/.412/.654 with an AL-high 44 home runs, 95 RBI, 102 runs scored, and 20 stolen bases across 599 trips to the plate, and his 1.066 OPS led the majors on the way to the second AL MVP award of his career. The 29-year-old phenom now links up with a star-studded lineup in L.A., and with manager Dave Roberts announcing at the team's Fan Fest event on Feb. 3 that Ohtani will be the team's No. 3 hitter, that means RBI chances will be ripe for the picking for Ohtani’s stick following 2023 NL MVP runners-up Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman as the everyday DH at Chavez Ravine in 2024. Devoid of any holes in his fantasy skill set as a hitter, and perhaps with the hope that he will stay healthy not having to shoulder pitching burdens, Ohtani's redraft stock deserves peak value as a five-category stud. Don't be afraid to draft him as early as the middle of the first round, but Ohtani's ADP sits around the Round 1/2 turn as he hunts for the third MVP trophy of his distinguished career.