Giants Out, Blue Jays In? Shohei Ohtani Sweepstakes See Possible Shift as External Factors Come Into Play

While there are many potential reasons for which Shohei Ohtani can join a team, there are an equal number of reasons that would make him less likely to join them. For the LA Angels it could be their lack of playoffs, the LA Dodgers – their aging squad, and the New York Yankees – bad pitching experience in their stadium. But the Pinstripes aren’t the only ones whose stadium could be their biggest problem.

The San Francisco Giants are quite interested in bringing in the Japanese phenom but they may have a problem that could derail their campaign for him. At the same time, it could mean the Toronto Blue Jays suddenly have a good selling point for Ohtani.

The Oracle Park could doom the Giants’ quest for Shohei Ohtani

The Giants are popular for being a team that has a pretty bad home run record. Though they have never been short of quality hitters home runs have been hard to get. One of the biggest reasons for it happens to be their stadium, the Oracle Park.

Recently Alden Gonzalez of ESPN said, “Don’t discount the elements within a ballpark.” when it comes to Ohtani’s choice.

The Oracle Park is a notoriously tough place for a hitter. There are a variety of reasons for this dubious record. The field’s structure is the first problem. It goes from a right field line of 309 ft to a right-center field of 415 ft. The distance itself makes a tough challenge and then the fences enter. The right field has a 24 ft wall that lowers slightly to 20 ft in the right center.

All of this makes it one of the toughest places to bat in for a left-hander. Ohtani will probably think about this fact a lot. Though this makes the stadium very good for doubles there is another problem – the wind.

Read more: Shohei Ohtani’s Special Off-Field Talent Revealed, Two-Way Phenom Leaves Fans in Awe

The wind plays a big role in that stadium. Sometimes winds go as fast as 15mph and mostly it flows towards the hitter. Coupled with cold temperatures, it’s a tough place to bat in. This is where the Blue Jays have an advantage.

The Rogers Centre can attract Shotime

The Blue Jays’ stadium is one of the best offensive fields in the league. On average, almost every one of its dimensions is smaller than the rest of the stadiums. Coupled with shorter walls, the field becomes quite friendly for hitters.

Ohtani himself enjoys a career OPS of 1.139 in this stadium. Could he get attracted by the hitting-friendly field? The Jays could turn out to be a dark horse in this race. 

With so many participants, each with their strengths. It’ll be interesting to see how Ohtani makes his decision.

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