Ohtani biding his time while wowing fans, foes alike

SAPPORO, Japan -- When Shohei Ohtani was 18 years old, fresh out of his Japanese high school, he stated on multiple occasions that he planned to circumvent Nippon Professional Baseball’s posting system by signing directly with a Major League team. The Nippon-Ham Fighters, Yu Darvish’s old club, drafted him anyway. At the time, Ohtani told the local media that nothing had changed.

But something did change, and Ohtani emerged from a month-long negotiation as Nippon-Ham property. The right-hander, who struck out seven in Samurai Japan’s 3-1 loss to MLB in Tuesday’s All-Star Series Game 5, is under team control for six more seasons. At 20 years old, he is already one of the best players in Japan, and likely the most famous. If Ohtani came stateside this winter, his contract would almost certainly eclipse the seven-year, $155 million deal the Yankees gave Masahiro Tanaka last winter at age 25.

Barring something unforeseen, Ohtani will be a big leaguer someday. He could become a superstar.

The only question is when.

“In the future, if it’s possible, I would like to play [in MLB],” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “But I can’t decide right now. I just want to focus on playing for the Fighters. I want to make results in Japan first.”

Through two seasons with the Fighters, Ohtani has already done that. He went 3-0 with a 4.23 ERA as a rookie, before breaking out with an 11-4 record and 2.61 ERA this summer. Unlike many Japanese starting pitchers, who log significant mileage on their arms at young ages, Ohtani has thrown a total of 217 innings over the past two seasons.

And he has done it all while moonlighting as a power-hitting corner outfielder, batting .257 with 13 home runs over 438 career plate appearances -- a hint at the 6-foot-3, 189-pound Ohtani’s freakish athleticism. The fact that the Fighters allowed him to play the outfield, Ohtani said, was a significant factor in his decision to sign with them. His double duty also limits the amount of throwing he does on the side for the Fighters -- more bullets unspent.

“I wanted to go [to MLB] at first, but it became a decision,” Ohtani said. “The Fighters let me be a two-way player. Playing both was more attractive to me.”

In Japanese baseball and American scouting circles, it is widely assumed that Ohtani made a handshake agreement with the Fighters at the time of his signing. He would play for a few seasons, giving Sapporo a superstar to follow in Darvish’s footsteps. In return, the Fighters would not block his future move to MLB.

For the Fighters, the potential benefit was several star-caliber seasons from a pitcher they otherwise would have been unable to sign -- and potentially more than that. Darvish faced similar scrutiny both before and during his Japanese career, yet lasted seven seasons in Sapporo before moving on to the Rangers.

For Ohtani, the potential was avoiding Minor League buses in America as he grows his brand in Japan, then reaping a potentially much bigger contract as an international star.

And already, he is that. Ohtani reached 98 mph on the radar gun in Tuesday’s game, giving up two runs over four innings. His fastball been clocked at 100. In Sapporo, a quiet mountain city of less than 2 million people, Ohtani’s face often appears alongside Darvish’s in storefront displays.

“He’s as famous as the prime minister,” Fighters executive Soya Aoki said.

Tuesday’s exhibition gave Ohtani an opportunity to further expand his brand. With MLB scouts in attendance, Ohtani sat in the mid- to high 90s, dropping in curveballs more than 25 mph slower. Fans at the Sapporo Dome audibly gasped in the first inning, when Ohtani blew away Yasiel Puig, Justin Morneau and Evan Longoria in succession.

“To see a guy his age throw nearly 100 miles an hour, it’s an impressive-looking young pitcher,” MLB manager John Farrell said. “It seemed like he had very good poise. Just a long, loose body that’s got tremendous arm speed. He’s a good-looking young pitcher.”

“I was looking forward to facing them because I wanted to go play in MLB at first,” Ohtani said. “It’s very exciting for me. Even the results don’t matter.”

Paying close attention to the growing numbers of Japanese pitchers experiencing success in MLB, with Darvish at the forefront, Ohtani believes the gap is closing between Japanese and American pitchers. He knows he can one day be a part of that.

Yet for now, Ohtani is committed to the Fighters. His dream of playing in MLB has not changed; only the timeline has.

“When you look at his physical abilities, he has got a tremendous career and future ahead of him,” Farrell said. “It’s one of the better young pitching prospects that -- regardless of where you come from -- I think we’ll see on a baseball field.”