Despite rostering two of the most talented players on the planet, the Los Angeles Angels can’t seem to figure out the whole “winning” thing, and that’s starting to frustrate their two-way star.
Los Angeles finished their 2022 season with a 73-89 record and was 33 games behind the Houston Astros in the American League West. That would be a disappointing finish for any team, but it was especially difficult for Angels fans to accept as they watched two of the best players in the world on a near-nightly basis.
It also discouraged Shohei Ohtani, who talked about how he viewed his season upon returning home to Japan on Tuesday morning.
“I have to say that August and September in particular felt longer to me than last year,” Ohtani said, speaking in Japanese, as transcribed by the Associated Press. “We were not able to play as many good games as we would like — including 14 consecutive losses. So I have a rather negative impression of this season.”
Ohtani and Mike Trout combined to make up baseball’s best two-headed monster last season. The duo finished with 74 home runs and 175 RBIs between the two of them, each making an appearance at July’s mid-summer classic. Oh yeah, Ohtani also pitched in 28 games, finishing with a 2.33 ERA — which was the sixth-best in baseball among pitchers with more than 20 starts.
The 2021 AL MVP has already agreed to a $30 million deal with the Angels for the 2023 season, his final year before free agency. The Angels have said they want to keep him (obviously) but will be undergoing an ownership change soon. It is expected that Ohtani could command the biggest contract in MLB history should he hit free agency, as he will only be 29 years old in the 2024 offseason.
