Shohei Ohtani is inevitable, even when the new Dodgers star can’t take the mound.

May 5, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17)

Shohei Ohtani signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers to, above all, win games. Sure, the money was nice, but he was going to get paid wherever he went. Living in Los Angeles is nice too, but he could do that in the offseason if he really wanted to. He joined the Dodgers to win, which is what he could not do with the Los Angeles Angels.

Ohtani had his chance to play in what felt like the first meaningful series of his career and he made the most of it, hitting three home runs and recording eight hits in his 12 at-bats with six RBI. His dominance led the Dodgers to a big sweep over the Atlanta Braves who entered the series with the best record in baseball.

Ohtani having a ridiculous series is just par for the course now. He has been unbelievable in his first 35 games as a Dodger. In fact, he’s off to the best offensive start to any season of his career. Even without pitching, Ohtani is making the contract he signed look like a bargain.

Shohei Ohtani is making his Dodgers contract look like a bargain even without pitching

The Dodgers were comfortable giving Ohtani the $700 million contract even with Ohtani being unable to pitch for the entire 2024 campaign and now we’re seeing why. His start to his Dodgers career has blown anything he had done to begin a season in an Angels uniform out of the water.

 

After his 4-for-4 performance on Sunday with a pair of home runs, here’s a look at Ohtani’s updated numbers. As you can see, he’s setting career-highs through 35 games across the board. This isn’t to mention the fact that he’s leading the majors in batting and OPS while he’s tied for the lead with ten home runs.

The Dodgers paid him to be elite offensively and on the mound. He’s unable to pitch, so Ohtani is doing things we’ve never seen him do at the dish before. Perhaps hitting behind Mookie Betts and in front of Freddie Freeman every night has its advantages.

Sure, he isn’t producing on the mound, but the Dodgers knew this going in. That was factored into his contract. They did not expect this kind of output offensively, especially in his first month with his new team. This kind of ridiculous start makes the deal he signed look like a steal so far, which is hard to even say out loud.