MLB Power Rankings: Top 25 players under 25

ANAHEIM, CA - MAY 17: Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) hits a fly ball to left field for an out in the fourth inning of a game against the Tampa Bay Rays played on May 17, 2018 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, CA. (Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

23 of 25

ANAHEIM, CA – MAY 20: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim pitches in the game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Angel Stadium on May 20, 2018 in Anaheim, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

3. Shohei Ohtani

In Shohei Ohtani, MLB fans are looking at potentially the most exciting player since Babe Ruth was still throwing fastballs as well as hitting them. The Japanese two-way star’s career is barely two months old, but he has blown the doors off the hype train in every way imaginable. Ohtani has been one of the best hitters in the league when in the lineup, carried a perfect game into the seventh inning in a start and has even run the bases with impressive speed.

Ohtani, simply put, is a video-game create-a-player with every single attribute cranked all the way up to 99.

Shohei Ohtani is hitting .354/.400/.677 with five homers in 70 plate appearances. No self-respecting video game would even let you create a player like this.
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) May 11, 2018

What more can you say about a rookie who has an OPS+ of 174 and is striking out nearly 12 per nine? This is an unheard of level of dominance for a rookie, and Ohtani is doing all of it after being written off as a bust on the heels of an ugly Spring Training.

Lost in all the hoopla surrounding Ohtani’s explosive April and May is the fact that he is still only 23 years old and is likely still a few years away from peaking as a player. His innings were handled mostly with restraint in Japan (although averaging over 7.1 innings per start as a 20-year-old isn’t great), which should help him avoid breaking down like many pitchers that make the jump across the Pacific Ocean.

Is it still too early to start clearing space for the Ohtani Wing in Cooperstown? Maybe, but where’s the fun in thinking rationally? Just enjoy the once-in-a-generation start to a career that Ohtani has produced so far.

Home/MLB