Joel Sherman Rips Brian Kenny's Suggestion That Shohei Ohtani Should Stop Pitching
Shohei Ohtani is a top-five offensive player in baseball right now while also being a top-25 starting pitcher. He's an incredible, multifaceted talent, which makes his value to the Los Angeles Angels that much higher. Joel Sherman gets that. Brian Kenny doesn't.
During a segment on MLB Network, Kenny argued that Ohtani should focus on offense full-time because it would make him even better and more impactful. Sherman was apoplectic, not understanding how Kenny didn't get it. Ohtani is already one of the best offensive players in the league and he's been largely great on the mound. Why change anything?
Here's the segment as Sherman doesn't even bother to hide his disdain for the suggestion:
Shohei Ohtani is a generational, once in a lifetime talent. Instead of celebrating and appreciating what his abilities can bring to the sport, the industry chooses to criticize
— Connor Нinchliffe (@conhinch) July 7, 2021
The same day he tossed 7 innings with an RBI double, an MLB Central host is saying he shouldn’t pitch pic.twitter.com/fL9MigqNM5
Ohtani is the best starting pitcher on the Angels while also being their best hitter. Why change this? He's had one bad start -- which he rebounded from Tuesday night -- it's not time to overreact.
I don't get Kenny's mindset. I mean, I get that these guys have to find things to talk about, but this topic is pretty nonsensical. Ohtani's success as a two-way guy is great for MLB. A unique, generational player in his prime is thriving at the top of the sport. He should keep doing whatever got him there.