Los Angeles two-way superstar Shohai Otani was recently asked if he would consider taking major league baseball by storm and using a new torpedo bat.
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He was asked in the Japanese media portion of the post-match scrum after a walk-off home run at MVP Bobblehead Night. His reaction was translated from Japanese to English:
“I don’t think I suddenly started using it,” Otani said. “I’m not completely excluding that possibility, but I’m very pleased with the bats I’m currently in. And I feel like I’m getting the right vibe from it.”
He added: “For now, I think I’ll stick to the bats I use.”
The bat he uses is doing Ohtani very well, as he has already cut .333/.459/.667 in eight games with three home runs and an OPS of 1.126.
His bat also helped make history for MLB last year, becoming the first player to hit more than 50 home runs while stealing more than 50 bases in the same season.
Torpedo bats have proven effective on a handful of stars, but Otanis don’t have to switch things up. While the New York Yankees put bats on the league’s radar, their superstar, Aaron Judge – felt the same as Otani about the potential batswitch.
“What I’ve done over the past few seasons speaks for itself,” the judge said. “If there’s something you work for, why are you trying to change something?”
Couple – Max Muncie and Kique Hernandez have ordered a new bat. Muncie tried it out in Wednesday’s game, returning to his old bat, 0-3 on a torpedo bat, and hit a two-run double for the first run of the season.
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Photo credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Immagn Images
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