Shohei Ohtani, why could he sign a contract of more than $500 million in MLB?

In the ranking of the best current players in the Major Leagues (MLB), the discussion is open from second place downwards. In the number one position, without discussion, is the Japanese Shohei Ohtani.

Ohtani, the most dominant two-way player in the history of the American major leagues at the same time, has not diminished one iota from his unparalleled performance as a star pitcher and hitter, which automatically guarantees him to be at the top of any list of the best in the business.

In the first quarter of the final season of his contract with the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani is hitting .292 with 20 extra-base hits (10 home runs), 31 RBIs, 26 runs scored and a .904 OPS. The Angels’ designated hitter is sixth in the American League in home runs and seventh in the circuit in RBIs, Slugging (.524) and OPS.

On April 16, he failed to reach bases (via hit or walk) for the first time since April 11 of last year, a 36-game streak that is an all-time franchise record.

As the number one pitcher in his team’s rotation, Ohtani is 5-1 with a 3.05 ERA, 80 strikeouts and 59.0 innings in 10 starts.

According to Elias Sports, the only pitcher in history with more fans in his first 400 innings is American right-hander Corbin Burnes (539) with the Milwaukee Brewers.

According to Fangraphs, Ohtani has 1.1 WAR (Win Over Replacement) as a hitter and 0.9 as a pitcher, while Baseball-Reference gives him 2.6 total WAR on both counts, which is the fifth-most in both major leagues.

The Japanese led the MLB in WAR in 2021 (8.9), when he won the unanimous American League MVP award, and was second in 2022 (9.6), when he escorted New York outfielder Aaron Judge. Yankees, in voting for the award.