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Mariners must have progressive plan to realize Japanese star Shohei Ohtani’s MLB dream

When the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters were trying to woo 18-year-old Shohei Ohtani to sign with them after high school, rather than skip the draft and go directly to an MLB organization as he was contemplating, they prepared a presentation to make their case.

It was entitled, “The Path to Realizing Shohei Ohtani’s Dream.”

It worked, and Ohtani eschewed MLB to begin his path to mythical status with the Fighters of the Japanese professional league. But now, a superstar at age 23 and the most intriguing baseball player in the world, Ohtani is ready to join MLB.