Quote:
Originally Posted by rats60
he may not
Ohtani may not even be the best player in the game today. Aaron Judge is a much better hitter, OPS+ 179 to OPS+ 160. Judge is a plus defender, Ohtani is a no defender. Ohtani's "not Cy Young quality" arm has been worth 16 WAR in 6 seasons. WAR is the only way to measure two completely different skill sets. Judge has been worth 8.8 WAR/162 games, Ohtani 8.2 WAR/162 games. Both elite players, but you can't say Ohtani is better.
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Aaron Judge is a no-doubt better hitter, but I can easily say Ohtani is better overall solely because he doesn't just pitch, he's an elite pitcher when healthy. Yes, that "when healthy" qualifier is a strong one given it's been a constant issue, but still, 3.00 ERA/1.08 WHIP with 670 Ks in 528.2 IP.
That's elite production. It's not just a side show to his hitting. He could have a career path focusing exclusively on pitching or hitting and he would be paid handsomely to do so. The team that has him gets both, though.