"Shohei with no favoritism" MVP theory spoken by Suwon interpreter November 11, 13:11
Major League MVP = best player announced on the 18th Japan time.
Can Angels Shohei Ohtani win the award for the second year in a row?
In the United States, the tone is overwhelming that Yankees player Aaron Judge, who hit a league record 62 home runs, deserves MVP.
However, interpreter Ippei Mizuhara (37), who has seen Otani closest, refutes this directly.
What is Otani's true appearance that only Mr. Mizuhara, who fought through the season with a three-legged team, can talk about?
And what does Ohtani think about the MVP competition?
In an exclusive interview with two people, it approaches.
(Shuta Yamamoto, NHK Special Reporter, General Bureau of America)
"Without favoritism, Shohei relaxed."
Mizuhara works as an interpreter exclusively for Ohtani at the Angels.
Originally, he worked as an interpreter for foreign players at Nippon Ham, a professional baseball team, and joined the Angels with Otani going to the United States.
In addition to his main job as an interpreter, he plays catch-ball with Otani before games, measures practice data, and drives Otani to and from the stadium.
Mr. Mizuhara, who has spent the longest time with Otani, how does he view the MVP battle with Judge?
In October, when the topic came up in an interview conducted right after the season ended, the always calm Mizuhara raised his voice unusually.
“In the MVP race itself, I think Shohei has a lot of leeway even if you look at it without favoritism. People often say that Judge is playing for a strong team that has advanced to the playoffs, and Shohei is playing for a weak team.
If Shohei was in a strong team, I think his individual performance would improve even more
.
is a player who gets more adrenaline when pressure is applied, so
I think he should be evaluated for achieving such good results in a situation where it is difficult to maintain his motivation. ”
15 wins + 34HR vs. 62HR
Ohtani has 15 wins as a pitcher and 34 home runs as a batter this season.
Babe Ruth achieved the simultaneous arrival of the regular pitching inning and the regular turn at bat, which he could not do, but the Angels lost "16" and sank to 3rd place in the western district of the American League, and could not advance to the playoffs for the eighth consecutive year.
On the other hand, Judge scored 62 home runs and 131 RBIs for the Yankees, which won the championship in the Eastern division, and won the double crown of home run king and RBI king.
There is certainly a big difference in the situation.
So how does Ohtani see the MVP battle?
“I don’t know about MVP, and I don’t think I am the most variable (best). I don't think the numbers that I should aim for, for example, will change."
“Insanely low” self-esteem
I never thought of myself as an MVP.
Come to think of it, at the end of last year's season when he was sure to win the MVP award, Otani told Mr. Mizuhara that he was "absolutely impossible."
According to Mr. Mizuhara, this season as well, he said, "Judge players are really amazing" and "Why can you hit like that?"
“Basically, Shohei has a very low self-evaluation of baseball. Even if I say it, it's like, 'No, no, no.' It's not at the level of humility or anything like that. What is it? (laughs)"
Ohtani's low self-esteem may be the flip side of his belief that he can still improve at baseball.
It is this thought that supports Otani's unstoppable evolution.
In March this year, in an exclusive interview during the camp, I was surprised by Otani's boundless enthusiasm for baseball.
If from the age of 6...
“I want to spend as much time as possible on baseball in a day, and I want to get as many things as I can in baseball. It would be an advantage if I could get more time than 24 hours a day, but unfortunately that is the same. I want to properly manage the time I waste, or even the time I spend relaxing, I want to devote myself to baseball, and I want to manage the time I sleep properly
. I think I was able to get used to it.I think it would have been better if I could have been able to think about such things at an early stage, so I want to do it while I'm still active so that I won't regret it."
If there is a baseball boy who thinks like that at the age of 6, I wonder if a more amazing two-way player will be born.
No matter how much Otani, it was impossible from the age of 6, but by the time he was 20, he was already thinking this way.
he is 28 years old.
In an interview during the camp, he revealed that he was "coming to his prime," but how far will he evolve?
Even after his two-straight two-way season ended, Ohtani was only looking up.
"Right now, I'm just worried. It was the same last year, but there's no guarantee that the results will be the same next year. Because it is important to
This year also "incomplete combustion"
Even now that he has returned to Japan for the holidays, Ohtani must be spending all his time playing baseball.
Mr. Mizuhara, who is watching from the side, is confident that it will continue to evolve in the future.
"It's really amazing if you look at the remaining numbers this year, but Shohei himself says it's like an incomplete combustion. There's really only room for improvement in both pitching and hitting, so I think I can maintain this level for another 10 years. I think I will hit more than 60 home runs someday, and when I tell Shohei that I can hit 60, he says, 'No, no, no.
' So, I want to see what happens when Shohei plays on that stage.After all, I'm coming to America to win the championship, so maybe next year."
Next year, I would like to see Otani dominating the ground with his pitching and batting in the playoff stage and the final scene after losing.
Hopefully on the World Series stage.
The stronger the opponent, and the more pressure is placed on him, the more powerful Otani will be.
Ohtani must be even more amazing when completely burned.
NHK Special "Major Leaguer Shohei Otani 2022 Towards a New American Legend"
Scheduled to be broadcast on Saturday, November 12th at 10:00 pm
Two-way swordsman Shohei Otani reveals behind the scenes of this season in an exclusive interview with NHK.
Ohtani, who was in "the best condition in five years since he challenged the major leagues", faced a thorough countermeasure using the latest pitching machines by the major league sluggers.
And because he makes a full rotation with a pitch, it puts a strain on his body.
The secret story of the birth of the magic ball, the MVP battle finally settled.
And what is the new sense of values shown to America?
In 2022, we approach the truth of Shohei Otani.
American General Bureau Reporter
Shuta Yamamoto Joined
in 2010 Responsible
for skiing, rugby, track and field in the Sports News Department
Current position since August 2020