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Shohei Ohtani is a human, but his numbers are that of a hitting machine. It has been a year filled with drama for Ohtani. Starting with the gambling scandal involving his former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara to facing criticism from the media and putting on one of the best offensive seasons in MLB history, it's a lot easier to think than done.
How does Ohtani do it? Facing adversity and still putting a happy face on. Dodgers third base coach Dino Ebel shared what it feels like to share a locker room with one of the most focused yet funniest characters on and off the field.
“The way he carries himself, I mean, he knows there’s a lot of attention on him, and you wouldn’t even know it,” Ebel told Guardian's Claire de Lune. “He’s Shohei Ohtani. He’s just a genuine, great person.”
Ebel would have a better idea to Shohei Ohtani's personality than most. After all, he was with the LA Angels when Ohtani had first arrived in the majors. After working one year with him, Ebel left the Angels, and, this spring he again got the opportunity to reunite with the two-way star.
“When he’s inside (the clubhouse), you see Shohei. When he comes out (to the field), it’s more of like, to me, I’m focused now, this is my job,” Ebel added.
Dodgers stars breaks down Shohei Ohtani's personality on and off the field
Most professional players who are superstars are generally more exclusive in their personality and restrict their personal space to a selected few. However, that's not the case with Shohei Ohtani, as per shortstop Miguel Rojas.
“Definitely, 100%,” Rojas told The Guardian. “Because I’ve played with other stars in the game that are different, and they’re needy. At some point, they need a lot of people around them, because they’re superstars.
"They can’t live a regular life, like any other players that can actually go out and do stuff. But to me, this place, for Shohei, is kind of a getaway from a lot of things.”
Rojas said that the Dodgers slugger is always "laughing" and seems like a "pretty normal, down-to-earth guy.”
Another opinion came from Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy, who finds Shohei Ohtani "a little kid in a grown man’s body.”
“He doesn’t like to take things too seriously, he likes to have fun. He’s always smiling, always trying to joke around.
"You definitely would have no idea he’s the guy that he is – if you knew nothing about baseball, and you’d never seen him before – you wouldn’t think that he was a big deal with how he acts,” Muncy said.
Shohei Ohtani has spoken several times how everyone in the dugout has been so helpful to him. As he looks forward to his maiden postseason appearance, he's more about winning for his team and staying true to his blockbuster 10-year, $700 million signing.
