Shohei Ohtani Impresses In First Live Batting Practice Since Astonishing Los Angeles Dodgers Move

Since completing his massive trade to the Los Angeles Dodgers, it would be fair to say that anyone with the slightest bit of interest in baseball will be keeping an eye on just how Shohei Ohtani does at Dodger Stadium and if his first live batting practice with the team is anything to go by, the money spent to land the two-way player.

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The 29-year-old Japanese superstar left the Los Angeles Angels to move to the Dodgers in an epic 10-year deal worth $700 million, and a lot is expected of the three-time MLB All-Star pick.

The two-way player will not be pitching anytime soon due to elbow surgery that rules him out from doing so this season, but hitting the ball doesn’t seem to be presenting any problems. 

If the mood within the Dodgers camp is anything to go by, then things look just dandy for Ohtani, with his team-mate, relief pitcher J.P. Feyereisen, commenting on Shohei’s hitting in glowing terms,

"When he hit it, I'm like, oh, he's Shohei, so he's got power," 

"Then I turned around, I'm like, well, there's another one. So it was good. It was fun to see. And obviously he looks like he's ready to go.”

"I get that he's got this big following. He's 700 million [dollars]. But he's our teammate as well. ... When he steps in the box, you just got to go and attack him, and obviously he attacked me."

Ohtani will sit out the spring opening game against San Diego but will feature as the Dodgers travel to Korea for a two-game series in late March. 

On how he feels about his progress since surgery, Ohtani stated (via an interpreter),

“I felt really good overall,” 

“Every swing got really strong with some good results.”

“I was planning on, like I said earlier, to swing on the lighter side,” 

“But I felt like the swings were feeling really good, which is a really good sign. I think it’s trending towards me being ready for Opening Day.”

“I was being a little careful,” 

“But overall I felt really good. All the swings I took inside the cage felt really strong. I think we’re past the oblique injury.”

“It’s not going to be every day, but it’ll be more often than during the season,” 

“I’ll be mostly doing my hitting work in the cage. When there are things I need to check on, that’s when I’ll hit outside.” Ohtani added.

Clearly, with the price tag hovering above, all eyes will be on the immense talent that the Dodgers have acquired, but Ohtani very much looks like an individual who will not be affected by the pressure.

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