Shohei Ohtani or Babe Ruth? Jonathan Papelbon would rather watch Angels star.
Ohtani is leading MLB in home runs and RBIs while excelling as a pitcher.
Shohei Ohtani is leading MLB in home runs and RBIs while batting .300 with a 1.015 OPS. And that’s just part of his game.
He also has a 6-2 record as a pitcher, and is fourth in the league in strikeouts with 105.
The Los Angeles Angels slugger has drawn comparisons to Babe Ruth, the former Red Sox and Yankees star who clubbed 714 career home runs and won 94 games with a lifetime ERA of 2.28.
Former Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon said if he had to choose between seeing Ohtani and Ruth play, he’d pick Ohtani.
“To me, it’s revolutionary dude. It’s freaking fantastic,” Papelbon said during an appearance on WEEI’s Baseball isn’t Boring podcast. “People need to realize how lucky they are. In my opinion, if you asked me right now if I’d rather watch Babe Ruth play or Shohei Ohtani, I’m going to tell you Ohtani. He is the modern day version of Babe Ruth and we should feel blessed to be watching it.”
Papelbon, who pitched 12 seasons in MLB with Boston, Philadelphia, and Washington, said he’s never come across another player who comes close to what Ohtani can do as a two-way player.
“I’m starting to think, is this guy even real?” Papelbon said. “I know what it takes to play, I know what it takes to prepare. To have to do it on both ends totally amazes me. It’s just, we really should consider ourselves lucky to see this guy play. What else can you say about this guy when he’s freaking raking and hitting bombs and pumping 100 [mph]?”
Papelbon said the only way he could see anyone other than Ohtani winning AL MVP this season is if Ohtani gets hurt. Ohtani [-430] is currently the favorite, with last year’s MVP Aaron Judge [+1900] in second, and Rangers shortstop Corey Seager [+3200] in third, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
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