LAKELAND, Fla. -- Kaleb Cowart watched his Angels teammate, Shohei Ohtani, slug home runs and strike out batters last year as a pitcher/designated hitter and started thinking.
"It was kind of like, 'Man, I'd like to do something like that,'" Cowart said.
No, Cowart didn't necessarily have visions of being a 22-homer slugger and a dominant starter. But he thought about Ohtani's versatility on a Major League roster, then thought back to his days as a pitching prospect in high school, then wondered if he could give pitching another try.
The Angels ultimately thought the same thing.