Shohei Ohtani has proven he can be one of the most exciting players in baseball in 2021, but health has proven an obstacle.
Can he really stay fit over the course of a season? Will he be able to spend a whole year as a starter pitcher? and put everything together at disk? It seems possible, but inevitable.
A Nevada bettor saw a lofty ceiling, and back on March 19, he placed a $30,000 bet on Ohtani with the William Hill sportsbook, now Caesars Sportsbook, to win the League MVP America, according to ESPN. Odds: 30-1. Today, Ohtani is a strong contender to win the AL MVP. And if – perhaps, when – he wins, that bettor will pocket $900,000. And as ESPN reports, William Hill will lose seven figures overall when Ohtani wins the award.
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“That would be the biggest loss ever on that type of market,” said Adam Pullen, assistant trading director at Caesars Sportsbook. “It becomes a line item, when you see prize betting and a big minus.”
Caesars won’t be the only book facing heavy losses. SuperBook’s chief risk officer Randy Blum told ESPN that sportsbooks will face “low five-figure” liability with Ohtani lined up to win the prize.
“We never expected him to be that kind of killer,” Blum said.
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Not much could have predicted Ohtani’s breakout success. In 2018, when he won the AL Rookie of the Year, he took down .285/.361/.564 with 22 home runs and 10 base steals. He also threw 51 2/3 innings with a 3.31 ERA and hit 63, but he dealt with the injury and ultimately required Tommy John surgery after the season.
Ohtani played 106 games exclusively as a designated player in 2019 after he underwent Tommy John surgery. He still performed well, owning a slash of .286 / .343/.505 with 18 home and 12 ste. However, he struggled to win the saucer in 2020, only taking down 0.190/.291/.366 with seven hosts and seven steals.
The power looks real, as does the speed, but Ohtani hasn’t put everything together yet. Until 2021. In this season he has taken down .257 / .372 / .592 and is third in the AL with 46 home runs and fifth with 26 stolen bases. On the mound, he threw 130 1/3 rounds in 23 starts, generating a 3.18 ERA with a 29.3 percent hit rate and 8.3 percent walk rate. According to Fangraphs, he earned 3.0 WAR as a pitcher and 5.1 WAR as a hitter.
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According to Fangraphs, Trea Turner leads the WAR hitters with 6.9 and Corbin Burnes leads the WAR hitters with 7.5. No player reached Ohtani’s 8.1 Collective WAR.
