I gotta get something off my chest, and I realize this may make me sound like an old curmudgeon. But someone had to say it.
Comparing any athlete to Shohei Ohtani, let alone a player who has not played a second of professional sports, is downright absurd. It’s laughable. It’s hilarious. It’s simply not fair to Ohtani. And it’s ridiculous that the comparison was brought up by Andrew Berry, the general manager of the Cleveland Browns.
“It’s a little bit like Ohtani,” Berry told reporters during his news conference ahead of this week's NFL Draft. “You know he’s playing one side, and he’s an outstanding player. If he’s a pitcher or hitter, he’s an outstanding player. You, obviously, get a unicorn if you use him both ways.”
In fairness to Berry: He said “a little bit like Ohtani.” And he’s right! Ohtani can pitch and hit at an elite level. At Colorado, Hunter was a dominant wide receiver and a great cornerback. Both players are rare in that regard. But let’s let Hunter prove himself at the NFL level before we start drawing comparisons to any athlete, let alone one of the best players in sports history.
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Why there's no comparison between Shohei Ohtani, Travis Hunter
Ohtani, 30, is a global superstar who has won three MVP awards in eight seasons in the Majors. He’s hit .281/.371/.573 with 231 home runs, 575 RBI and a .944 OPS over that span. He’s also posted a 3.01 ERA in 86 starts with a 608/173 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a fastball that consistently hovers around 100 mph.
If there’s any player that Hunter should be compared to, it’s his college coach, Deion Sanders. Coach Prime was one of the best cornerbacks in NFL history and also played wide receiver, although he accumulated just 60 catches and 784 yards over 188 games. Hunter very likely will not be the same caliber of cornerback as Sanders, but he surely will be a better receiver in the NFL.
So yes, I get why you’re excited about Hunter. He’s been a great college player and will very likely go to the Browns with the second pick in the draft on Thursday. But let’s cool it on the Ohtani comparisons.
It’s not fair to Ohtani, and quite frankly, it gives Hunter a comparison that’s impossible to live up to. That’s not a shot at Hunter; that’s just a sign of how great Ohtani is, and how rare it is to do what he's doing.