Shohei Ohtani’s 2017 Angels Decision Was Based on “Connection”, Will That Impact His $500M Decision More Than Winning?

Shohei Ohtani Ohtani was drafted by the Los Angeles Angels on a sweet December afternoon back in 2017. The young Japanese sensation, at the age of 23, inked a six-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels, securing a contract that fell nearly $200 million short of his estimated market value at that time. Ohtani’s decision to side with the team was due to a certain “connection” that he felt with them. Will the said connection also factor in his $500 million worth of predicted draft decisions?

Ohtani’s desire to pursue a two-way career path was the driving force behind his decision to invest additional time in refining his skills before making his debut in MLB. Despite initially hesitating, he ultimately entered the league, doing so with a “chance” connection with the Angles.

Shohei Ohtani and his connection to MLB stardom

Shohei Ohtani made a spectacular debut as an Angels rookie, racking up 93 homers as a batter and striking out 63 as a pitcher in his first MLB season. He basically turned a blind eye to their history of not winning a World Series title for the last two decades. What was the IT factor in the deal that proved to be useful for the Angels until now?

According to Ohtani’s representative, Nez Balelo, Ohtani was really intrigued to join the Angels because of the connection he said he felt with them. In Ohtani’s words, “I wanted to hear what every team had to offer and give everyone a chance and at the end of the day I decided to pick the Angels.”.

The deal value, or the size of the market, time zone, or league he’d be playing in, did not matter; getting the correct environment to help him establish himself as a two-way legend did. Will he be opting for a similar sixth-sense resolution while choosing his next team?

Pro-Money or Premonition: which will Ohtani side with next season?

Ohtani has been proactive about keeping the free agency meetings hush-hush to avoid unsolicited opinions from outside. With a deal predicted to be around $500 million or above, he can certainly be expected to bring his all to his next team. Yet, a lingering question persists: unlike Angles, who couldn’t manage to add a ring to Ohtani’s resume, will the upcoming team prove to be the ideal fit for him, keeping his “winning” aspirations in check?

Read More: Top MLB Insider Dives Into Shohei Ohtani’s Free Agency, Credits Dark Horse Team in $500M Race

Ohtani can either choose to side with fame, money, and a longstanding legacy with a winning team. Or he can go with his instincts and choose a lower-category club that will offer him the space to hone his skills further, but maybe not the $500 million deal. Let us hope that he chooses a club that will honor his skills as he honors their dugout for the upcoming seasons. Three cheers to Ohtani!

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