Shohei Ohtani’s low pitch velocity has baseball fans worried
Shohei Ohtani’s velocity is down early Wednesday night and Angels fans are worried.
Shohei Ohtani is on the mound Monday night for the Los Angeles Angels and that means MLB fans all over are tuning in. The two-way star is a must-watch even when he is not pitching.
But there are concerns popping up early in his start against the Cleveland Indians. Specifically, Ohtani’s velocity is down and fans are worried.
Shohei Ohtani’s velocity is down quite a bit in the first inning.
— Brent Maguire (@bmags94) May 20, 2021
Worth monitoring this as the game moves along. pic.twitter.com/ee8iYz6KVA
Concerns over Shohei Ohtani’s velocity
Injuries have limited Ohtani’s time on the mound since he arrived in Southern California. He appeared in 10 games in 2018, zero in 2019, and two in 2020.
Shohei Ohtani's velocity is noticeably down in the first inning. His hardest fastball has been 92.5 mph and it's averaging 90.2 mph. He just gave up an RBI double to Reyes just down the third-base line on a 2-2 slider.
— Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) May 20, 2021
Ohtani is leading MLB in home runs and that is the main storyline. But part of his experience is being able to pitch every five days as well. If his velocity is already on the decline the Angels should be concerned.
This team is already without Mike Trout for up to two months because of a calf strain. Having Ohtani miss time for any arm issues would surely derail any hopes of making the postseason. It is not like the Angels are doing well out of the gate so far anyway.
This situation is something that must be monitored throughout the entire game. If Ohtani is not dealing with any pain, it could just be an off-night. However, if he leaves early Angels fans are going to rightfully panic about what could be wrong at a time when the team needs all its stars healthy to compete.
Next. Stephen A. goes nuclear on abysmal Ohtani take. dark