Los Angeles Angels

Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani turned heads when he said winning will be a big deciding factor in where he plays if and when he becomes a free agent after the 2023 campaign, but manager Joe Maddon suggested that doesn't mean he necessarily wants to leave.

The Associated Press (h/t ESPN) shared Maddon's comments:

We all feel the same way, we all want to win. If anybody misconstrues that as though he wants to leave, that's trying to connect some dots that weren't necessarily what he, not at all what he said.

He also mentioned how much he loves it here. The inner sanctum of the clubhouse, the guys, the coaching staff, everything about it. The area. The fans. He loves them all. We all want to get to the next level, and we see it as an absolute possibility it's going to happen here in the very near future.

Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com noted Ohtani said he and the Angels have not yet discussed a contract extension to this point.

"I really like the team, I love the fans and the atmosphere as a team," he said. "But more than that, I want to win. That's the biggest thing for me. I'll leave it at that."

Los Angeles has not done a lot of winning of late. Its last playoff series was in 2014, and its last playoff victory was in 2009 when it reached the American League Championship Series. That hasn't changed even with two of the brightest stars in the league in Ohtani and Mike Trout anchoring the organization the last four years.

This year's Angels are 74-82 and in fourth place in the American League West.

The struggles are notable because Ohtani could be on his way to the AL MVP as both a star hitter and star pitcher. He is slashing .258/.371/.595 with 45 home runs, 98 RBI and 24 stolen bases while posting a 3.18 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 156 strikeouts in 130.1 innings pitched.

The 27-year-old will be well-positioned to land a massive contract if he does hit free agency after the 2023 campaign and could look to join a winner if things don't turn around for the Angels.

Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani is scheduled for unrestricted free agency after the 2023 season, and he said he has not discussed a potential extension with the team yet, per Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. 

"I really like the team, I love the fans and the atmosphere as a team," he said. "But more than that, I want to win. That's the biggest thing for me. I'll leave it at that."

It's not too difficult to read between the lines with that statement, and that could be a worrisome thing for Angels fans.

After all, Ohtani has been with the American League West team since the 2018 campaign and has yet to enjoy a winning season or make the playoffs. It is a similar situation with Mike Trout, who has starred for Los Angeles for so long but has played in just one postseason series.

Ohtani has certainly not been the problem this season for the 74-82 Angels, who have been eliminated from playoff contention and sit in fourth place in the division.

He is slashing .258/.371/.595 with 45 home runs, 98 RBI and 24 stolen bases as a hitter while anchoring the pitching staff with a 3.18 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 156 strikeouts in 130.1 innings.

The offensive numbers would be impressive on their own if he was just a hitter, and the same can be said about his pitching totals. The league hasn't seen someone be so dominant in both ways since the legendary Babe Ruth, and Ohtani is just 27 years old.

He is the type of player who can turn around the fortunes for the franchise if he remains healthy and eventually signs a long-term extension.

Those discussions haven't happened yet, and it is clear he prioritizes winning given his comments, but it would behoove the Angels to make sure he remains with the only Major League Baseball team he has ever known.

Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout may not return this season.

Angels manager Joe Maddon told reporters Wednesday he "would be very surprised" if Trout returned from his calf strain during the 2021 campaign, although nothing has been officially decided.

Trout has missed significant time this season with the calf injury, which he told reporters in August was "one of the hardest things I've been through in my career."

The 30-year-old suffered the injury during a May victory over Cleveland, and the ensuing time missed was something of an anomaly for his career. Prior to the shortened 2020 campaign in which he played 53 of a possible 60 games, he appeared in 134 or more games seven times in an eight-year span from 2012 through 2019.

When healthy, Trout is one of the best players in all of baseball.

He is a three-time American League MVP, eight-time Silver Slugger and nine-time All-Star who anchors the Angels lineup and defense from his center-field spot.

Los Angeles is out of realistic playoff contention at 70-74, so it doesn't come as much of a surprise that the team will not rush him back down the stretch this season.

Displaced New Yorkers and West Coast Yankees diehards packed the Big A over three games in late August and early September. Chants of "Let's Go Yankees" could be heard all the way to Disneyland.

But thanks to Shohei Ohtani, they didn't last.

In the second game of the series on Aug. 31, Ohtani made his way to third base with two outs in the fifth inning. After a swing-and-miss by Jared Walsh, Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez threw across the diamond to try to stop Phil Gosselin from stealing second. Ohtani broke for home on the throw as part of a delayed double steal, sneaking his left hand past Sanchez's swiping tag to add to Los Angeles' lead in what would be a 6-4 win. 

Welcome to the Sho Show, where the "Let's Go Yankees" chants soon turned into cries of "M-V-P" with nearly everyone in attendance at Angel Stadium joining in. By the next day, it was a Yankees fan in enemy territory starting up the MVP chants. 

Ohtani, the 27-year-old Japanese sensation, has united all of us. Never has the world been so divided, but the one thing everyone agrees on is that Ohtani is spectacular.

"Root for him," Angels manager Joe Maddon told Bleacher Report. "Go ahead and root for him."

It might have taken a few years, but Ohtani is proving to be everything he was billed to be when he came to MLB from Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan in 2018. All of baseball saw the talent immediately, and he was rewarded with the AL Rookie of the Year title, but injuries limited him from showing what he is truly capable of until this season. 

His 7.1 combined fWAR leads baseball by a decent margin, with Milwaukee Brewers right-hander Corbin Burnes behind him at 6.7 fWAR. His .608 slugging percentage is second in the league, and his 43 home runs are the most in baseball and the most ever in a single season by a Japanese-born player. His .964 OPS is the fourth-best mark in the league. Ohtani has taken the mound 12 times while leading the league in home runs. 

He's also the best pitcher on a team that has treated pitching like an afterthought for several years, which is part of the reason he won't be playing among baseball's best in October. Mike Trout has been injured since May 17, and the Angels' combined ERA of 4.67 is 24th in the league. 

Halo fans have been saying "maybe next year" for too many years now, so 2021 is the Year of Ohtani. 

So, who is Ohtani and what makes him so extraordinary? 

    

The Legend of Ohtani

It has to be taken into account just how difficult it is to be a two-way player in modern-day baseball. Hitting is a craft just like pitching. Both crafts take an equal amount of physical and mental work. A starting pitcher might only play every five days, but there is work on Days 1-4. There is conditioning and maintenance, there are bullpens to throw, and side sessions in between. There is film to study and hitter tendencies to learn. 

To do all of that, plus go out and hit every single night, is a steep mountain to climb.

"Real baseball fans see and understand what he's doing and how difficult it is," Maddon said. 

Walsh knows firsthand what that workload is like, having been a two-way player until his second MLB season. Walsh only threw five innings of relief in his first season in 2019, but he pitched and hit for Georgia in college and was used out of the bullpen throughout his minor league career. 

"I think the biggest challenge, even for everyday players or pitchers, is getting your body ready to do the job over 162 games. So the fact that he's kind of rotating with as much power as he does, and hitting balls as far as he did and throwing 100 miles an hour is really taxing on your body," Walsh said. "I'm really impressed with how he's been able to recover all year."

There was the Tommy John surgery that kept him from pitching during the 2019 season and the knee surgery that came before 2020. He added muscle prior to the 2020 season to help with his durability, which led to the Twitter nickname "Swolehei" Ohtani. 

"The way his body has transformed—if you look at a picture of him from 2018 to now, I think he's filled out a little bit, he's matured a little bit," Walsh said. "He works his butt off. Some of the most God-given talent, but even when he was much slimmer in 2018, he was hitting balls as far as anyone I've ever seen, so he's got that great skill and the ability to work."

don't talk to swolehei ohtani ever again pic.twitter.com/A3YLdWNdpH

— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) August 15, 2021

He makes the work look easy. 

"It's special, and we don't always realize it because we see him and he never looks tired," catcher Kurt Suzuki said. "But when he goes out there the next day after pitching and hits, and hits a homer, you're like, 'That's amazing.' Or when he plays four days in a row, DH'ing and running the bases, stealing bags, hitting triples and then goes out and pitches on the fifth day, you're like, 'What in the world?'"

The world feels different when Ohtani is playing. Almost like it stops. The Angels are used to this considering the club does boast the world's greatest player (or maybe second-greatest, depending on which day it is) in Trout, but if you've never experienced it for yourself, it feels magnetic.

"When the rest of us walk up to the plate, the fans might go grab a beer or something," Walsh said. "When he's at the plate, everyone has got their phone out and they're locked in. He's must-see TV."

It's human nature to want to be around greatness. This was never more obvious than the 2021 MLB All-Star Game in Denver, when the sport's best talents flocked to Ohtani. Walsh recalled the looks of bewilderment and amazement from those on the field in Denver when Ohtani competed in the Home Run Derby and also pitched and served as the DH for the American League team.

The All-Star Game and its surrounding festivities have always been a time for players to appreciate other players. Cameras cut to the sidelines to show MVP and Cy Young candidates filming the derby on their phones or their kids asking for autographs. 

But during this year's edition of the game, everyone became a kid again. 

"Even in the clubhouse, everybody wanted to be around him a little bit and say a few words to him, maybe get an autograph if they could because this is really historic what he's doing," Walsh said. "You just want to be near him and be a part of it."

    

The Ohtani Circus

Here's what fans don't often see: Other players becoming fans themselves, the hoards of fans back home in Japan who regard him as a heartthrob and the gaggle of media members chronicling his every move. 

The Angels beat has swelled from three writers to a number that varies from 15-20 depending on the game. There are 10-15 members, sometimes more, from the Japanese media that cover Ohtani on a daily basis, including TV crews, radio personalities, national writers, wire outlet stringers and even a dedicated writer from his hometown newspaper in Oshu City. Several of them travel with the Angels. There may be even more media members next season when COVID-19 travel restrictions are expected to loosen and the reporters who covered the Olympic Games in Tokyo come stateside. 

The club carefully manages his media, though it should be noted that there is no diva treatment. He speaks to the media following his pitching performances like every other starting pitcher in the league does, and the Angels will often have him speak with reporters after notable home runs or big offensive performances as well.

When Detroit Tigers broadcaster Jack Morris used a racist accent during one of Ohtani's at-bats, Ohtani addressed the media.

"I did see the footage and I heard it. Personally, I'm not offended, and I didn't take anything personally," he said, through an interpreter. "He is a Hall of Famer. He has a big influence in the baseball world. It's kind of a tough spot."

Maddon was impressed with the way he handled the situation. 

"He handled that beautifully, and that's the humility showing through," the manager said. "His empathy for everybody is there; it shines through."

The sheer amount of media he faces would be overwhelming for even the most loquacious players, but a lot is asked of Ohtani and his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, to begin with. The way he has deftly handled the myriad requests and interviews in three languages—English, Japanese and Spanish—has not gone unnoticed.

"It's something I don't think a lot of people factor in," Walsh said. "He gets a lot of attention and he gets pulled in a lot of directions. But he's always a pro, he's always got a smile on his face. So I really respect it. I think his patience is something that he's had for a long time and was probably instilled in him when he was a kid."

Mizuhara has been with Ohtani throughout his MLB career. The role of an interpreter goes beyond just media requests. Interpreters are often conditioning partners, bullpen catchers and liaisons between players, managers, coaches, trainers and teammates. 

There is not only a language barrier but also a cultural one that exists for many players of foreign descent. Interpreters like Mizuhara guide players through games and through their adjustments to the United States. Mizuhara is there to facilitate the pitches that catchers are calling for as well as to facilitate his banter with teammates.

"Him and Ippei together are a wonderful combination," Maddon said. "Communicatively, it couldn't be any better between the two guys."

    

The Sneaky Funny Ohtani

Ohtani can be a bit guarded, but there is a wry sense of humor that Mizuhara helps bring out. Sometimes he's even been the butt of the joke, like the time Ohtani printed shirts for his teammates with a picture of Mizuhara at Antelope Canyon. 

The jokes come when no one is expecting them. 

"He's sneaky," Suzuki said. "Like, out of nowhere it comes out and you're just like, 'Shohei?' It's funny."

The sky isn’t the only thing dripping today. 💧 pic.twitter.com/u98cSwphkV

— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) May 22, 2019

The humor has always been there, teammates say, but between the language barrier, the club's personnel changes and his own injuries and obstacles to overcome, the hilarity has been subdued at times. 

Not this year, though. Maddon has seen another talent this season. 

"When I first met him, he didn't show all of that," Maddon said. "But this year, as he's played and pitched and showed what he can do, he's showed it. He'll imitate players, he'll mimic players, but he'll also take the heat too."

Not all players have had the dubious honor of being imitated by arguably the world's greatest baseball player, but they seem to know that when it comes, it will be accurate. 

"I'm sure he's got an embarrassing one of me that I haven't seen yet," Walsh said.

He's baseball's superman, but he's also Clark Kent. There are many (deservedly) hyperbolic descriptions of Ohtani, but his teammates emphasized the fact that off the field he's just kind of a normal...dude. 

The Angels media guide says his favorite hobby is playing Clash Royale, a smartphone video game. Teammates say he's pretty good at that, too. They also say he's genuine, humble, polite and diligent. They say he's just another guy who loves baseball.

Maddon says he's extremely respectful and has a great amount of empathy for everyone around him. Fans say he's friendly. Suzuki used the term "even-keeled" more than once, and Walsh echoed that sentiment.

"He's usually in a very good mood. He's a great teammate," Walsh said. "I think everybody likes him so much because he brings consistency. He's got a big smile and enjoys the game. Even if he has a bad night the night before, he's happy when he shows up the next day. That's pretty much all you can ask for."

Maybe that's part of his intrigue: Ohtani is a normal human doing superhuman things on the baseball field. He can steal home and steal the hearts of baseball fans worldwide. He can throw payoff pitches and make you laugh. 

It's all part of the greatest Sho in baseball. 

Is there anything Shohei Ohtani can't do at this point?

The Los Angeles Angels slugger and pitcher found a new way to wow baseball fans during Tuesday's game against the New York Yankees when he stole home in the bottom of the fifth inning:

SHO STEALS HOME! pic.twitter.com/HIQE4fD8bW

— MLB (@MLB) September 1, 2021

Ohtani took advantage of the throw to second base that was made in an effort to retire the stealing Phil Gosselin and dashed home to beat the tag and extend the Angels' lead to 6-2.

He was only on base that inning because the Yankees chose to intentionally walk him. It was also his second steal of the game and his 22nd swiped bag of his incredible season.

Those steals sit alongside his 42 home runs and 90 RBI as a hitter and 1.06 WHIP and 127 strikeouts in 105 innings as a pitcher during what is shaping up to be an MVP season from the 27-year-old.

The Los Angeles Angels are reconsidering whether to shut Mike Trout down for the remainder of the 2021 MLB season.

Manager Joe Maddon said the star center fielder is approaching a point at which the team will have to make a decision, per MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger:

"He had another good day working out and we were optimistic but he came back sore. So we keep going back to that. It's a possibility [he'll get shut down]. And probably getting closer to having to say something like that. But he still wants to continue the fight and we're going to honor his wishes. However Mike sees this, we're going to go that way."

Earlier this month, general manager Perry Minasian ruled out the idea of ending Trout's season early.

A Grade 2 right calf strain has cost Trout most of this year, initially sidelining him May 17. This is already his worst injury.

Injuries have pestered Trout recently. He had missed at least 20 games in three of the four seasons entering 2021. It's the only thing that has slowed him down since he entered the league.

The 30-year-old has put together an incredible career, winning three American League MVP Awards and finishing in the top five of voting in nine straight years. Even with this year's injury, he was selected to the All-Star Game for the ninth time.

Through 36 games, Trout has a .333 batting average with a .466 on-base percentage and eight home runs.

His presence alone wouldn't have put the Angels in playoff contention, but his injury has undoubtedly played a role in their fourth-place position in the American League West.

Los Angeles Angels manager Joe Maddon told reporters star Shohei Ohtani will not pitch Tuesday's game against the New York Yankees after a ball struck his right wrist during Saturday's win over the San Diego Padres.

"He's fine, he's just sore," Maddon said Monday, per MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger. "Pitching is problematic, so we'll just have him hit until he's ready to pitch. It's almost like his thumb issue."

Bollinger noted Ohtani had X-rays on the injury, with test results coming back negative.

Any injury to Ohtani is sure to raise some concern considering he missed time as a pitcher earlier this year because of a blister and made just two starts on the mound in 2020 because of a strained flexor pronator mass.

When healthy, Ohtani is valuable because of his unique skill set as someone who can help anchor the pitching staff and hit home runs as a designated hitter.

As a pitcher, he has a 3.00 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 127 strikeouts in 105.0 innings. As a hitter, he is slashing .264/.363/.623 with 41 home runs and 89 RBI.

In April, he became the first player since Babe Ruth to start a game as the pitcher while also leading the league in home runs.

Mike Trout has been limited to 36 games in the 2021 MLB season, and the Los Angeles Angels star acknowledged his calf injury has proven to be more serious than he first thought.

"It’s one of the hardest things I’ve been through in my career," he told reporters Saturday. "I’ve been through some injuries, but this thing is tough. I never realized how much I use my calf."

Trout added he's "feeling better" and remains hopeful of returning at some point this year.

The three-time MVP has been out of action since Los Angeles' 7-4 win over Cleveland on May 17. He was running to third base and looked to be in pain as he approached the bag, exiting shortly thereafter.

This isn't the first calf problem of Trout's MLB career—he was briefly out with a minor calf strain in 2019. For him to speak about his current injury in such a serious tone shows how bad the problem is.

Getting Trout back would obviously be a boost for the Angels, but it might be too late to make any difference to their postseason hopes.

Los Angeles is 62-62, 11 games back of the first-place Houston Astros in the American League West. The team is also 8.5 games out of the second wild-card spot. FanGraphs gives the Angels a 0.1 percent chance of making the playoffs.

Shohei Ohtani is enjoying a once-in-a-generation season, but the injuries to Trout and Anthony Rendon and an underperforming supporting cast are nullifying his contributions. It's basically the same story that has unfolded for Trout since making his debut in 2011.

Los Angeles' record doesn't necessarily mean the nine-time All-Star should be shut down for the season, but it eliminates the need for him to rush back before he's ready.

Multiple MLB players will testify that they received oxycodone from Eric Kay, who faces trial in the death of former Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs, per Nathan Fenno of the Los Angeles Times.

Kay served as the Angels communication director but was considered the "singular source" who supplied Skaggs with oxycodone. An autopsy of Skaggs after his 2019 death from an overdose determined there was oxycodone, ethanol and fentanyl in his system, per T.J. Quinn of ESPN.

Kay was indicted in October 2020 and charged with distributing a controlled substance that resulted in Skaggs' death and for possessing with the intent to distribute the opioid fentanyl.

"The evidence will also demonstrate that Kay often coordinated the distribution through text messages or through conversations involving the victim [Skaggs]," a court filing from Friday stated.

"Approximately" five MLB players will present testimony in the upcoming case.

Those involved would reportedly purchase anywhere from 2 to 20 pills at a time from Kay.

According to the filing, Kay was also using some of the pills he obtained for the players and he even overdosed at the stadium about three months before Skaggs' death.

Text messages also showed Kay offered Angels memorabilia while soliciting drugs, including a baseball signed by Mike Trout and game tickets. 

The filing argued that "Kay was involved in a conspiracy with several individuals and was obtaining drugs in several ways."

In 2019, Quinn reported Kay had told the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration that he supplied oxycodone to Skaggs and provided the names of five other Angels players he believed were using opiates.  

Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani brushed aside the comment made by Detroit Tigers broadcaster Jack Morris in which Morris used a stereotypical Asian accent.

"I did see the footage. I heard it on the video," Ohtani told reporters Wednesday. "Personally I’m not offended. I didn’t take anything personally."

Shohei Ohtani was asked about Jack Morris:

"I did see the footage and I heard it on the video. Personally, I'm not offended and I didn't take anything personally," he said. "He is a Hall of Famer. He has a big influence in the baseball world so it's kind of a tough spot." pic.twitter.com/M5s6WerXk9

— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) August 19, 2021

During the broadcast of the Angels' 8-2 win over the Tigers on Tuesday, Morris spoke in a mocking accent and advised the Tigers to "be very, very careful" as Ohtani was due to bat. He later apologized.

Bally Sports Detroit announced Wednesday it was suspending Morris indefinitely and requiring him to undergo bias training:

Detroit #Tigers broadcaster Jack Morris indefinitely suspended pic.twitter.com/UTOYoOLcos

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) August 18, 2021

The Tigers also said they were "deeply disappointed by the comments made by [Morris]."

Morris began working on Tigers broadcasts in 2003 before going on to call Minnesota Twins games as well. The 66-year-old returned to Detroit in a full-time role ahead of the 2019 season.

His comments came at a time when hostility toward Asians and Asian Americans have been on the rise. The nonprofit group Stop AAPI Hate—which gathers data on racially motivated attacks against Asians, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders—said it received 9,081 reports of "hate incidents," including physical attacks, verbal harassment, shunning and discrimination, between March 19, 2020, and June 30, 2021.

The FBI cautioned in March 2020 that hate crimes against Asian Americans were likely to rise amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"The FBI makes this assessment based on the assumption that a portion of the US public will associate COVID-19 with China and Asian American populations," the Bureau said.