TEMPE, Ariz. —
For a fleeting moment, at the height of Shohei Ohtani’s sensational rookie season in 2018, it was one of the most debated topics in all of baseball:
What was the correct balance of hitting and pitching for the Angels’ two-way star? And where was the line between maximizing his value and protecting him from injury and fatigue?
Some suggested Ohtani should focus only on one. Others predicted his combined output could reach historic levels. But the conversation quickly quieted after Ohtani’s elbow injury in June 2018.
Since then, he has pitched just four regular-season innings and been relegated largely to hitting.