Scout’s Nightmare: Ohtani Turns ‘High School Level’ Critique into Historic Highlight

Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers has made history this season by becoming the first Major League Baseball (MLB) player to achieve the remarkable 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases milestone. While Ohtani has solidified his status as a dominant force in MLB, skepticism surrounded him when he first entered the league. Recently, remarks from a scout in 2018, who dismissed him as a “high school hitter,” have resurfaced, raising questions about what that scout might be thinking now.

On September 20, Ohtani delivered a jaw-dropping performance against the Miami Marlins, going 6-for-6 with 3 home runs, 10 RBIs, and 2 stolen bases. He became the first player in MLB history to surpass the 50-50 mark, reaching an impressive 51 home runs and 51 stolen bases. In his next game against the Rockies, he extended his record with a 3-for-4 outing, including 2 RBIs and 1 stolen base, bringing his totals to 52-52.

Ohtani has established himself as one of MLB’s premier power hitters, but doubts lingered when he leaped Japan in 2018. In March of that year, Yahoo Sports published an article by Jeff Passan (now with ESPN) titled “The verdict is in on Shohei Ohtani’s bat and it’s not good.” The article featured several scouts’ low evaluations of Ohtani’s batting skills, with one scout’s remark about him being akin to a high school hitter becoming particularly notorious.

However, once the season kicked off, Ohtani defied expectations, posting a batting average of .285 with 22 home runs in his rookie year. Passan publicly apologized on April 10 of that season, stating, “Dear Shohei, I’m sorry,” and retracted his earlier assessment. Fast-forward six years, and Ohtani’s unprecedented 50-50 achievement has reignited discussions about that original comment.

As posts from that time resurface on X (formerly Twitter), fans react with comments like, “What does that scout think now?” and “I’ve never seen a more misguided evaluation.” Others remark, “Most people expected him to be more of a pitcher. Who knew he would become a unicorn?” and “I know scouts aren’t perfect, but this is way off.”

Fans have responded to Ohtani’s complete reversal from those low evaluations by saying, “Now this article has become one of the legends,” “This will be a lifelong joke,” and “This feels great.”