The Angels Saturday unveiled their splashy new free-agent signing, pitcher-outfielder Shohei Ohtani, one day after announcing baseball’s most sought-after free agent during the 2017 offseason had agreed to join their organization.
“Hi, my name is Shohei Ohtani,” the 23-year-old phenom said in English as he took the podium in front of enthusiastic fans at Angel Stadium. He gave the rest of his remarks through a Japanese interpreter.
“I look forward to becoming part of the Angel family, I look forward to playing in front of all you great Angel fans, and hopefully we can bring a championship back to Anaheim,” he said.
Ohtani ended by congratulating Angels outfielder Mike Trout on his recent marriage.
During a question-and-answer session with reporters after the introduction, Ohtani cited a “strong connection with the Angels” as the reason he chose the team over other suitors.
Angels manager Mike Scioscia drew applause from the fans when he said that the team “definitely” plans on Ohtani being a two-way player.
“His ability both on the mound and in the batter’s box is something that doesn’t come along, and really, never comes along, so our excitement is very, very high,” Scioscia said at the podium moments before Ohtani spoke, adding that signing the Japanese star is “obviously a tremendous boost to what we want to do and where we want to end up.”
Ohtani will wear No. 17 for the Angels.
Terms of the contract were not disclosed. The Los Angeles Times reported the Angels are expected to pay Ohtani a $2.315 million signing bonus and he will be guaranteed a salary of no more than the major league minimum of $545,000 for each of the next three seasons.
The Angels will pay a $20 million posting fee to Ohtani’s former Japanese team, the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, according to The Times.
“We are honored Shohei Ohtani has decided to join the Angels organization,” the team said in a statement issued Friday. “We felt a unique connectivity with him throughout the process and are excited he will become an Angel. This is a special time for Angels fans, the Ohtani family, and Nez Balelo and the team at Creative Artists Agency.”
Balelo, Ohtani’s agent, issued a statement describing the negotiating process as “a thorough, detailed process.”
“In the end, he felt a strong connection with the Angels and believes they can best help him reach his goals in Major League Baseball,” Balelo said.
Fans are welcome to the 3 p.m. news conference.
The 23-year-old Ohtani was the MVP on Japan’s Pacific League in 2016 when he helped lead the Fighters to the Japan Series championship and was selected to the Pacific League’s Best Nine as both a pitcher and designated hitter, the first player to receive the awards as both a pitcher and hitter.
Ohtani hit .322 with 22 home runs and 67 RBI and had a 10-4 record and 1.86 ERA in 21 games on the mound.
Ohtani’s 2017 season was curtailed by an ankle injury, limiting him to 65 games, where he hit .332 with eight home runs and 31 RBI. He pitched in five games with a 3-2 record and 3.20 ERA.
—City News Service