DO WHAT, YOU MAY ASK?
Shohei Ohtani is a baseball player for the Los Angeles Dodgers, formerly of the Los Angeles Angels. He is Japanese.
Just yesterday, against the Miami Marlins, Shohei did the following:
- Came to bat 6 times
- Had 6 hits
- Had 5 extra base hits
- Hit 3 home runs
- Batted in 10 runs
- Scored 4 runs
- Stole 2 bases
This was the best performance in the history of baseball. Take a look.
The season is not over yet, but Shohei became the first baseball player to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in one season.
Even more remarkable, Shohei is a pitcher, an all-star pitcher. He is unable to pitch this season because of major elbow surgery. The Los Angeles Dodgers “took a chance” on him and offered him the highest contract in baseball history or in the history of any other professional sport. $700 million for 10 years.
Some of Shohei’s contract will be deferred until after the contract is completed. He is also estimated to make around $50 million each year in non-playing income, such as endorsements.
I have never heard anyone say that Shohei is overpaid! He is a global phenomenon and will make money for the Dodgers.
This post will examine his training and diet, as well as his discipline. He is 30 years of age, 6’4″ tall and weighs 210 pounds. He was born in Oshu, Japan – of a baseball loving family. He throws right handed and hits left handed.
SHOHEI’S EARLY LIFE
Shohei’s father worked at an automobile manufacturing plant and was an amateur baseball player. His mother was a nationally known badminton player. Coached by his father, Shohei began playing baseball in his second year of elementary school. As an 18 year old high school player, he was throwing 99 mph fastballs and also was said to be a good enough swimmer to have competed in the Olympics. In high school, he lived on campus and only returned home for 6 days in a year.
After high school, Shohei wanted to play professionally in the major leagues and was pursued by the Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers. But he decided to play pro baseball in Japan. One of the reasons for this was that he would be allowed in Japan to be a position player as well as a pitcher. The Dodgers at that point were not willing to let him play both ways.
In December of 2017, Shohei was signed by the Los Angeles Angels and became the American League Rookie of the Year in his first year, as a starting pitcher and designated hitter.
He became the American League’s Most Valuable Player in 2021 and 2023. He was a free agent after the 2023 season and was signed by the Los Angeles Dodgers.
SHOHEI’S TRAINING AND DIET
Shohei Ohtani was not born a superstar. He put in the hours to get where he is today. Here is his routine in high school. Remember – he lived on campus. In his own words, as interpreted:
“We’d get up and first there would be a roll call to check to see if everyone’s there. Then morning practice for an hour or so. We woke up at about 6 AM or slightly after, then we’d have morning practice, then we’d go to school to study or have class until about 4 PM. And then we’d start after school practice – I wonder how long it was – but it was until 9 or 10 PM. Then we’d have dinner, another roll call and then we’d go to sleep. It was just that every day”.
As a freshman, he also had to get up at 3 or 4 AM to clear the snow.
Shohei weighed 143 pounds as a high school freshman. He decided to eat 10,000 calories per day and gained to 189 pounds by his senior year. With his daily routine, he knew that he would not become fat.
He likes chicken – thigh meat or white meat. Also, white fish, tuna and salmon. His favorite food is takoyaki, a Japanese snack food of bite size balls made from wheat flour batter and filled with various ingredients, typically octopus. See below.
Shohei has become physically quite strong, able to lift nearly 500 pounds in the dead lift or squat power lifts. He has been known to lift heavy weights after a baseball game. Here he is, doing a dead lift of 495 pounds.
He says “sleep is my top priority” and gets 10 hours of sleep per day, plus a two hour nap before a game.
Another man who is also a big believer in sleep quality is Jeff Bezos. See my prior post on Mr. Bezos.
Shohei Ohtani and Jeff Bezos – two successful people who prioritize sleep. Something to think about.
AFFIILIATE MARKETING
I am an affiliate marketer, which means that I use links from associated companies within my posts. I may earn from activity on those links. See my upper menu – BECOME AN AFFILIATE MARKETER – for information on how this works.
Here are some Amazon links, featuring Shohei Ohtani:
2018 Shohei Ohtani rookie card – tuck it away for grandchildren. Make them rich.
Men’s short sleeve jersey – yes, he is known as “sho-time”
Shohei paperback – inspiring story
(Look for other Shohei Ohtani memorabilia on Amazon. There’s lots of it)
Another highly regarded source for sports-related items is Dick’s Sporting Goods. Here are a few baseball specials currently being shown:
- Marucci alloy bat. was – $209.99, now $199.99
- Rawlings Elie Series glove – was $170.99, now $139.99
- Wilson Clayton Kershaw glove – was $209.99, now $198.98
- Bat pack – was $84.99, now $69.99
- Nike kid’s Mike Trout cleats – were $41.99, now $33.99
There are tons of baseball and softball specials at Dick’s Sporting Goods. Go to my link at the side of this page and:
- Click on the red link
- See the question “What are you looking for?”
- Proceed from there, for baseball or other sports equipment.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Shohei Ohtani, or “Sho-time”, is an amazing young man. Other worldly! My headline is “How does Shohei Ohtani do it?”
The answer seems simple to define and yet difficult to do. He has become a 30 year old legendary athlete by his willingness to pave the way with hard work and discipline. 17 hour days, focused on baseball and classwork. Workouts after baseball games. Learning to pitch and hit – with extraordinary skill sets in both. He is setting records after elbow surgery.
No one has ever done this. Babe Ruth started as a pitcher and became a great home run hitter. But he didn’t really do both at the same time. He became an outfielder and stopped pitching. As great as Babe Ruth was, can you imagine him stealing 50 bases?
Please leave me any comments or questions in the “Comments” section below.
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Great post! Shohei Ohtani’s career is truly remarkable, and his ability to excel both as a pitcher and a hitter is something we’ve never seen before. It’s amazing to learn about his training and discipline, especially his focus on sleep and diet, which clearly play a big role in his performance. His journey from high school to MLB success is so inspiring! One thing I’m curious about—what specific changes did Ohtani make to his training routine after his elbow surgery to stay at the top of his game?
Hi Hanna! Thanks for your participation! You have asked an excellent question. Shohei’s injury was to his right elbow. He hits left handed and pitches right handed. The injury was to the ulnar collateral ligament, the UCL. He had Tommy John surgery once before and he and the Dodgers were secretive about his second surgery, which might have been another Tommy John surgery. Pitchers usually need a year’s rehab after this surgery before pitching again. However, hitters can play without so much rehab. The fact that he is a hitter and a pitcher and does each with a different dominant arm is helpful to him now. Pitching places more stress upon the injured UCL since the throwing arm rapidly pivots from an external rotation to an internal rotation. This is not so much a problem with hitters. Bryce Harper, for example, had Tommy John surgery. Hitting left handed was not a problem for Bryce, but he had to become a first baseman instead of an outfielder because his throwing (right handed) was hampered. It is significant that the leading elbow is the right elbow for Bryce and Shohei.
There may be some question about Shohei being able to pitch effectively next year. But he is such an incredible athlete that he and the Dodgers assume that he will. If not, he will simply concentrate on hitting and keep breaking records. The Dodgers are up to date on his rehab and are paying him $700 million for whatever he is able to do. They are getting a bargain. He is that great an athlete and a global superstar. He makes money for the Dodgers.