$700M man Shohei Ohtani is talk of Dodgers spring training: 'Can't wait to watch him play'

PHOENIX — They were camped outside of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ spring-training complex at Camelback Ranch since 6 a.m. Friday.

And that was just the Japanese reporters waiting for the media entrance to open.

A crowd of about 70 reporters flocked around to get their first glimpses of Shohei Ohtani at spring training as a member of the Dodgers.

The Dodgers spent $1.2 billion this winter, with $700 million going to Ohtani, and enter spring as baseball’s team to beat.

“It’s pretty special to be part of," veteran outfielder Jason Heyward said. “We’ve got stars. We’ve got future Hall of Famers. And, of course, we’ve got the biggest international star in the game in Ohtani.

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“He’s an ambassador for the entire sport and we get to play with him."

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Ohtani spoke for about 10 minutes Friday, answering questions from English-speaking reporters for about seven minutes, saying that he feels great after undergoing elbow surgery in September, and believes he’s right on schedule to be the Dodgers’ DH this spring and be ready by opening day when they face the San Diego Padres in Seoul, Korea.

And yes, even though he has been in the big leagues for six years, he feels like a rookie again.

“So far all of the guys I’ve met have been great," Ohtani said. “They’ve been very welcoming. Some guys I haven’t met and am looking forward to meet."

It takes times for any newcomer to learn his new surroundings, no matter how big of a star you are in this game, but Ohtani plans to reach out to teammates instead of just letting them come to him. 

And Dodgers manager Dave Roberts let everyone in on a secret. 

Ohtani speaks English during their conversations, and can certainly understand what Roberts and his teammates are conveying in casual talks.

“I think that it takes time to build relationships, the culture," Roberts said. “For me, it's being a facilitator and trying to forge these relationships with teammates. That's going to be the lifeline of our success is their relationships and how much they can build trust within each other.’’ 

It also means that the Dodgers expect Ohtani to be more available to the media than he was with the Angels. He spoke only on days he pitched in Anaheim, but considering he isn’t pitching until at least 2025, he’ll have to be more accessible in Los Angeles. The Dodgers don’t want Roberts and Ohtani’s teammates to constantly be asked about Ohtani without expressing his own feelings. 

“I lived it in a sense of when I played with Barry Bonds," Roberts said. “So, I'm not trying to compare the two but in the sense of the magnitude of [Bonds] going for his home run, dealing with the build up, and I was that player, a teammate that had to answer a lot of questions because other teammates didn't care to. 

“So I think we’ll have a conversation." 

Certainly, Ohtani has already impressed his teammates with his work ethic at Dodger Stadium this winter and already at their spring-training complex. He didn’t sign with the Dodgers just to win a few more MVP awards. He wants a championships. 

“He's put in a lot of time this offseason at Dodger Stadium," Roberts said, “and also spending some time here getting here early. Just watching him work is very intentional. Everything he does is intentional, which is pretty amazing. Right now you see a lot of teammates watching how he operates, learning what makes him tick."

Ohtani divulged little during his press conference, but is confident he’ll have a strong season as the Dodgers’ full-time DH, and could even have his greatest offensive season yet. He lead the American League with 44 homers last season, hitting .304 with 95 RBI and a league-leading 1.066 OPS.

“I believe there’s not one level, but several levels ahead offensively wise," Ohtani said. “Its going to depend on whatt kind of lineup I’m in and everything, but at the end, I’ll keep the focus of trying to get better.’’

And right now, well, he couldn’t be more pleased at his progress after arriving early to camp.

“My swing effort-level wise is about 100% right now," Ohtani said. “My next step is facing live arms and facing some velo."

Ohtani won’t be pitching this season, but after undergoing a second major elbow surgery in five years, he feels the lessons he learned from that rehab process will benefit him.

“This isn’t my first time doing this rehabbing while getting ready for the season,’’ Ohtani said, “so I feel like it will be easier."

When Ohtani underwent Tommy John surgery with the Angels in 2018, he missed the first month of the 2019 season, and started slowly. He hit just .250 with three homers and 13 RBI with a .692 OPS in 20 games in May.

Yet, Ohtani took off in June, batting .340 with nine homers and 22 RBI with a 1.091 OPS in 27 games in June. He finished the season hitting .286 with 18 homers, 62 RBI and a .848 OPS in 106 games.

“I can’t wait to watch him play," Heyward said. “To be around this guy everyday will be special. But it’s not just one person. It takes a team. We’ve got to do a lot of things right to get to where we want to go, but we’ve got the potential to have a pretty fun year."

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