Shohei Ohtani is a bona fide baseball phenom. The two-way star has taken the Major League by storm, leaving no doubt about his power-hitting skills. Additionally, Ohtani’s impressive strikeout record has recently garnered recognition from some of the game’s all-time greats.

In the latest episode of the Black Diamonds podcast hosted by Bob Kendrick, the star earned praise from one of the game’s greatest icons, Derek Jeter. And if the star is to be believed, everyone knew early on that the player was destined for greatness.

MLB Icon Opens Up on When He First Met Shohei Ohtani

When speaking on the Black Diamonds podcast, Derek Jeter, the pinstripes’ iconic ‘Captain Clutch’, spoke about how when he first had gotten to know of the two-way superstar. Around the 20th minute, the conversation between the two turned to the current MLB superstar.

“He’s a big boy. First time I met him was when I retired,” said Jeter “Briefly, I went over to Japan and I was an honorary coach.”

Jeter recounts it was the first time that he was meeting the phenom and he hadn’t heard of the star just as yet. “These two teams we’re coaching playing against each other and Shohei was playing right before then. So it was the first time I saw him and I’d heard about him was when he was playing in Japan.“

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Jeter knew he was looking at a top performer in the making and Ohtani keeps proving him right. The star, however, also had notes for what can make the star truly emerge.

Ohtani Sweepstakes Gather Steam

Shohei Ohtani’s is widely acknowledged as one of the best player in the Major League. And with time running down on his engagement with the LA Angels, the star could be poised for a deal which Major League Baseball has not seen yet.

With the two-way star’s abilities well known around the league, his next contract has been widely regarded as a contract that could well smash records. And with several teams in the League looking for the skills the star has shown in seasons past, his contract value could well be higher than what several had anticipated.

But what do you think? Could Ohtani be set for a record breaking contract in the next season? And where do you think he’s most likely to end up?

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