ORLANDO, Fla. — Shohei Ohtani poses a wonderful problem for Major League Baseball. A 23-year-old superstar in Japan, Ohtani has announced his intention to join a team in North America next year, and the suitors are lining up to court him. They are also trying to figure out whether they can accommodate his desire to do something no major leaguer has managed in generations: play two ways, as a starting pitcher and an everyday batter.
A left-handed slugger and a right-handed pitcher, Ohtani has played in the outfield or as a designated hitter on the days he did not pitch for his current team, the Nippon Ham Fighters, and did it well enough to become known as Japan’s Babe Ruth.