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Shohei Ohtani will be playing against history when he dons Dodger blue.
It’s true that by adding the two-time AL MVP and consensus best player in the world, the Los Angeles Dodgers have made an already-loaded roster even more so.
But it’s also true that that talented roster has won exactly one playoff game in the last two seasons, and hasn’t won the World Series during a full-length season since the Reagan administration.
In LA’s most recent playoff failure, a sweep at the hands of UNC alum Zac Gallen and the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLDS, the talented duo of Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman combined to bat 1-21 at the top of the Dodger lineup. So what can Ohtani – who has never appeared in the MLB postseason – bring? Is he ready for the bright lights, or will he wilt like his fellow MVPs?
Last season’s World Baseball Classic indicated Ohtani only gets better when the lights get brighter. Shohei led Team Japan to the world championship as tournament MVP, posting a .435 batting average while also tossing 9.2 innings with a sub-2 earned run average. That pitching brilliance included a scoreless ninth inning in the championship, capped by a strikeout of then-teammate Mike Trout.
So yeah, Ohtani knows a thing or two about the big stage. But whether or not that helps the Dodgers with their October yips remains to be seen. What we do know is that Ohtani’s $700 million contract, the richest in the history of American sports, will mean LA’s payroll will continue to be in the upper echelon of the league. But the biggest spender is not always the biggest winner. In fact, the team with the highest payroll in the last four full-length seasons has not won the World Series. Last season, the New York Mets rostered a team worth well over $300 million but failed to make the playoffs.
That’s not to say teams should be afraid to spend. After all, the last team to win it all with a payroll outside the top 10 was the 2017 Houston Astros, who had some… additional help.
So what is the common theme to LA’s playoff struggles? To my eye, they just met teams who wanted it more. The Dodgers usually coast to a playoff spot by soaring over 100 wins, but then match up against a team like the Padres or the D-Backs which has had to play elimination ball for at least a month to sneak into October. Then, the you-know-what hits the fan.
Will Shohei help or hurt this defect? He elevated a Team Japan roster that was not as talented as Team USA’s and helped them win the world title. If he can make the Dodgers a force to be reckoned with in October once again, maybe he truly is the greatest of all time.
Featured image via Associated Press/Mark J. Terrill
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