Since his arrival in the MLB, Shohei Ohtani has come a long, long way. He transitioned from an injury-prone all-rounder whose physical restraints limited him to only pitching up to today, where he’s already won the American League MVP award in 2021 and is in line to win another MVP title.

However, how did this two-way phenomenon reach the MLB? The story majorly started 13 years ago. He reached the United States through Nez Balelo, an agent who spotted him for the first time in Tokyo.

Shohei Ohtani and his transition from NPB to MLB

Balelo talks about the first time he saw Ohtani when he was only 17 years old and playing college baseball. While talking about that, Baleno said, “I saw him in my hotel room and I tune in. And sure enough, I see this big right-hander, competitive, doing his thing.”

Ohtani’s agent, Balelo speaks about watching the big right-hander, who is pounding zones and an ironic coincidence that kept Ohtani in his mind forever. He says, “The irony of that is I was staying at Hotel New Ohtani. I thought I’ll never forget the name. And clearly, at that point, I started following Shohei in his career and his story. It was more about his story, and the decision that he made to go with the Fighters instead of coming to the states.”

Read More: ‘I Was Really Surprised’- Long Before Shohei Ohtani’s Meteoric Rise as a Two-Way Player in MLB, Former Japanese Manager Foresaw His Greatness

Finally, Nez Balelo gives excessive credit to former Fighters manager, Hideki Kuriyama who shaped Ohtani into the two-way star that he is today. He said, “For the Fighters being so honorable to Shohei’s wishes, especially Hideki Kuriyama. Shohei is in the position today because of that decision several years ago.”

Who will win the MVP award? Ohtani or Judge?

In reference to individual performances, not many people can come remotely close to competing with Shohei Ohtani. The outfielder, designated hitter and pitcher has an all-round record in 2022 that topples his 2021 American League MVP season. Along with 28 starts, and an ERA of 2.33, Ohtani has concluded 2022 with 219 strikeouts. Moreover, he has batted at a consistent 0.273 with 90 runs and 34 home runs in 2022.

However, despite these stunning performances, Ohtani could miss out on the MVP award due to the Angels’ disappointing performance across the year, coupled with their early elimination. His competition – Aaron Judge, hit 62 home runs in the regular season, broke Roger Maris’ record, and carried them to the Championship Series.

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According to you, who deserves the MVP award? Aaron Judge or Shohei Ohtani?