Shaikin: Do the Dodgers need a "Will he hit?" drama every time Shohei Ohtani pitches?
On the day he let Shohei Ohtani pitch and hit in the same game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts insisted he would make that decision on a "start by start" basis for the foreseeable future.
Dodgers starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani gestures as he works against a San Diego Padres batter during the fifth inning Wednesday. (Gregory Bull / Associated Press) Say what you will about Barry Bonds , but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts offered this compelling description of him: “Very low maintenance. ” He prepared himself every day.
If he was healthy, he was playing, and why wouldn’t he? He was the best hitter in baseball. “With Barry, you just pencil [him] in the lineup and you don’t think anything of it,” said Roberts, his former teammate.
Roberts now manages Shohei Ohtani , who has won the most valuable player award four times. The only person with more MVP awards is Bonds. Read more: Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani hits leadoff homer then shuts down Padres in victory You might think Roberts would treat Ohtani the same way as Bonds: If Ohtani is healthy, he is in the lineup.
Instead, on the day he let Ohtani pitch and hit in the same game for the first time in a month, Roberts insisted he would make that decision on a “start by start” basis for the foreseeable future. That risks turning the question of “Will he hit or not? ” from a discussion into a weekly distraction.