José Canseco, the first player in Major League Baseball history to achieve the 40 home runs & 40 stolen bases milestone, or 40-40, praised Ohtani Shohei of the Dodgers, who has completed the unprecedented 50-50 mark. Canseco mentioned that when he first saw Ohtani in 2018, he was convinced, saying, “This guy is going to be our next 40-40 guy.” He praised Ohtani for his uniqueness but also pointed out that under the current rules, other players, such as Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees, may also have the potential to achieve 50-50.
On August 24, Ohtani became the sixth-fastest player in MLB history, reaching 40-40 during a home game against the Rays. He then stepped into the realm of 50-50 during an away game against the Marlins on September 20, and as of September 22, he had increased his record to 52-53. The Canadian broadcaster Sportsnet interviewed Canseco the day before Ohtani achieved 50-50 to hear his thoughts.
Canseco, who hit 462 home runs and stole 200 bases in his career and was the first to achieve 40-40 in 1988, said that after watching Ohtani’s pre-game practice up close in 2018 when Ohtani was a rookie, he was certain that Ohtani would be the next member of MLB’s 40-40 club. He praised Ohtani as an amazing player, emphasizing his uniqueness and status as the face of baseball. ” I’ve never seen a player who could do the things he does,” Canseco said. He added, “And also, he potentially can be historically the only player to win an MVP and a Cy Young in the same year. That’s impossible, but he’s the only person with the mental capacity and the physical ability to accomplish those feats.”
Canseco also mentioned that stealing bases has become easier than his playing days. This year, new rules increased the base size from 15 inches (about 38.1 cm) to 18 inches (about 45.7 cm) and shortened the distance between bases by 4.5 inches (approximately 11.4 cm). Additionally, a rule now limits pitchers to two pickoff attempts. He criticized these changes as immature, pointing out that they provide a significant advantage for players attempting to steal bases.
Canseco argued that several players could achieve 50-50 under the current rules, citing Judge as an example. He explained that Judge is very fast, but most people don’t recognize that about him. Canseco added that Judge could easily join the 50-50 club, but he is cautious about avoiding injury since he signed a large contract, so he doesn’t attempt to steal bases. However, Canseco believes that Judge could easily achieve 50-50 for several consecutive years.
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