Shohei has been “Shohei” since high school

Shohei Ohtani

　One of a kind superstar made a history again.
Today,Shohei Ohtani played as a pitcher and batter on All-Star Game. He has released 33 home runs that run alone in the MLB Homelander Bee Top, and has won four by pitching. “The return of Babe Ruth”, a big fever is happening in the United States. He went to the United States dreaming of two-way player. The world payed attention to young people who are trying to make their dreams come true.

　Otani has been Otani since Hanamaki Higashi High School. The high school baseball dot-com editorial department has paid attention to his outstanding talent at that time. They have focused on him since the summer and written down his growth and expectations for the future during the period from being nominated as the draft of Nippon-Ham to becoming a proffessional. I had a premonition of Otani’s current figure in them.

　He is described as ‘the best talent’ not only in japan but in all over the world under 18years old about Otani’s pitching at thd U-18 World Championship in his third year of high school.Especially, he had the record on the fastest 96.5mph in a game against Korea.He constantlly stunted a straight ball over 93mph to a lower outside angle. It is, of course, not just a pitcher. He performed his extraordinaryness to the world as a batter. He adapted to the wooden bat as the 4th samurai and showed excellent bat control. Of course, it’s not hard to imagine that it surprised the major scouts who had paid attention since that time.

　Already made use of his blessed body of 191 cm and 76 kg at he was in his second year of high school, he had to show his presence. I commented his taste as batter on great flexibility wrist not just pitcher and “there is a quick fielding that makes me think that I am not tall, and if it is a material and potential, this year’s high school student ( Even if you include a third grader at that time, you can call it NO.1 ).

　There is also data showing the degree of growth of Otani as a pitcher. In the three introductions, his numbers at that time remain. If you follow it in order, you can see that he is growing steadily.

①August 2nd year of high school → ② July 3rd year of high school → ③ September 3rd year of high school
[Fastball speed]
①93mph (always around 87mph〜89mph)
②Fastest 93mph (always 87mph〜90mph)
③Fastest 100mph (always 93mph〜96.5mph)

【slider】
①Around 74mph (vertical slider is also around 74mph)
②Around 84mph
③Around 84mph (vertical slider is also around 84mph)

[Curve] ① Around 72mph

[Fork] ② Around 84mph

　He acquired curves, forkgs and changing balls growig straight and slider balls in speed.

　He also pays attention to the fact that he can use his lower body well for his height. Regarding the pitching form, “Many pitchers over 190 cm have their heads and left sides thrust manually, but Otani is able to stand firmly on one leg with his weight on his foot. That posture is good. ” It makes sense to explain that he was a tremendous athlete as a result of his physical modifications in NPB and MLB.

Shohei Ohtani

　Surprisingly, his hitting aspect hasn’t changed much from his high school days. When I interviewed in his second year of high school, stanses said, “he in a square stance, with a high grip and a straight back. He has the guts to stick to his guts and can stance with atmosphere. He starts up from the point of the pitcher’s legs landed and hits with almost no steps.The starting mechanism was quite slow and he pulls it to the last minute and hits the ball strongly. ” It seems that it is not much different from the current appearance of mass-producing home runs. You can see his commitment to the form and the finished form from high school. After 10 years counting from the second year of high school. The current Otani may have already been “perfect”.

　Otani chose the path to fulfill his dream through Japanese professional baseball (Nippon-Ham Fighters) instead of direct majors. Currently, it is described not only as “like a manga” and “a story more than a manga” in MLB, but also “manga” in Nippon Professional Baseball. He started as “first pitcher” for the first time in the game against Softbank in July 2016. Otani, who came to bat in the top of the first inning as the first batter, performed the “first ball first batter home run”. He achieved the record of “pitcher’s first batter home run” for the first time in history in both Japan and Majors. As a pitcher, he became the winning pitcher with 10 strikeouts in the 8th inning. This is exactly perfect for a picture.

　Hit, throw, run, defence … And he is always a “gentleman”. All of this, not to mention his parents, must have been cultivated during the “high school baseball era” of the Hanamaki Higashi era. A well-grown man to world top is also set a new record in the Major All-Star Game. We were witnesses of history.