PHOENIX —
As he threw batting practice to Shohei Ohtani on Friday, Dodgers third base coach Dino Ebel learned more about the superstar slugger based on what he did with bad pitches, not good ones.
Plenty of players, Ebel noted, can launch towering drive after towering drive at soft throws over the middle of the plate.
But on pitches that missed the heart of the zone Friday, Ohtani either laid off — a rare trait Ebel said spoke to the hitter’s efficient approach and purposeful work ethic — or made a quick and powerful adjustment in the box, sending them sailing through a bright morning sky all the same.