“What He’s Doing Here…Not Seen Before”- Derek Jeter Sees Shohei Ohtani in the Same Light as Babe Ruth

Shohei Ohtani was Mr. Baseball in 2021; Figuratively, of course, as no such title really exists. But if it did, it would be Ohtani’s in 2021. And the endorsements are ringing in from all fronts. Even former Yankee legend, Derek Jeter has had to stand up and take notice of the Japanese phenom capturing Anaheim by storm.

With the sport of baseball still currently in a lockout, other baseball adjacent events are gaining a lot of attention. Chief among them, the release of the Topps Series 1 Baseball Cards. Shohei Ohtani was recently voted by fans to be the #1 card in the 2022 edition of the trading card set and Derek Jeter had a reaction to be proud of.

Derek Jeter reacts to Ohtani’s Achievement

When asked about the achievement, Jeter reacted positively to Ohtani’s stat setting season. “Deserved”, said Jeter. Perhaps encapsulating what everyone feels about any achievement lauded to Ohtani for his season so far.

Delving a bit into the past, Jeter recalled the first time he had seen Ohtani play. Speaking to a Topps representative, Jeter spoke about taking a trip to Japan with former Yankees outfielder, Hideki Matsui, where he had seen Ohtani for the first time. Having gone just after he had retired, Jeter only briefly met Ohtani at the time.

Jeter mentioned that he has been following Ohtani’s career since and especially after Shohei came to America. Speaking to the quality of the season that Ohtani seems to have had, Jeter mentions that it is likely unprecedented. “What he’s doing here, we have arguably not seen before,” Jeter said, quickly adding, “With the exception of Babe Ruth.”

Read More: WOW! Fans Vote Shohei Ohtani as #1 Card in TOPPS Series 1 Baseball

Shohei Ohtani in 2021

Ohtani had a season of seasons in 2021. Winning the 2021 AL MVP, Ohtani displayed strong performances in either department. Even Jeter acknowledged the rarity of such a feat. “It’s hard enough to do one job, let alone two,” he added.

Offensively, Ruth was one of the best performers in the league. With 46 home runs scored and an OPS of 0.965, he was instantly in the mix for the best batters of the league. Add to that 8 triples (a league-high) and a whopping 26 stolen bases and you get an achiever in the same league as greats like Canseco and Bonds.

And to top it all off, Ohtani also contributed from the mound. Pitching 130 1/3rd innings, Ohtani boasted a 3.18 ERA. And he also registered 156 strikeouts and another 44 walks to go with that. Among those with at least 120 innings in 2021, Ohtani ranked within the top 14% in strikeout percentage in 2021.

Babe Ruth in a Red Sox jersey was probably the last player to perform as well from both sides of the home plate and Ohtani definitely deserves the recognition that he is receiving right now. Hopefully, his performances can translate into something of note next season and the Angels can end their pennant drought soon. And who knows, maybe a World Series is also in the offing?