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Who is Shohei Ohtani?
We are all aware of the calmness a sea possesses before it’s a storm. In simple terms, Shohei Ohtani is that very calm of the sea before he unleashes his storm on the baseball field.
Shohei Ohtani (sometimes also spelt Otani) is a Japanese professional baseball player who is currently affiliated with Major League Baseball (MLB) team Los Angeles Angels. A rare talent, he is equally dominant at pitching and hitting and is often dubbed as Japan’s Babe Ruth. Ohtani was introduced to the sport by his father, and soon the incredible speed of his fast ball drew both domestic and international attention. Initially, he wanted to go the United States right after finishing school, skipping the Japanese draft, but the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball’s (NPB) Pacific League aggressively courted him. He eventually relented and became their first pick in the 2012 draft. Ohtani would play the next five seasons for the Fighters and would lead them to the Pacific League Championship and Japan Series title in 2016.
Profile summary
| Name | Shohei Ohtani |
| Birthday | July 5, 1994 |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Birth place | Ōshū, Iwate, Japan. |
| Education | Mizusawa-Minami Junior High School and Hanamaki Higashi High School. |
| Profession | Baseball Player. |
| Net Worth | Under Review. |
Shohei Ohtani biography
On July 5, 1994, Ohtani was born under the sun sign of Cancer in Ōshū, Iwate, Japan. Well, he is the youngest of three children of Kayoko Ohtani and Koru Ohtani. As a matter of fact, Ohtani comes from an athletic background as both his parents were professional athletes. For elaboration, his mother, Kayoko Ohtani, used to be a national-level badminton player during high school.
Likewise, his father, Toru Ohtani, used to be a corporate league baseball player. In the meantime, Ohtani also worked in the local Mitsubishi plant.
Hence, it was his father who always encouraged Shohei to play baseball.
Therewith, Shohei commenced early on the field, and by the age of eight, he had become a regular player in a weekend little league.
As time gradually matured, Shohei got better with the games; however, he never took a baseball to be something more than just a hobby.
Shohei ohtani Height
Shohei Ohtani is a handsome man with a healthy-build and packed body. He has fair skin with short black hair, and his eyes are dark brown. Not to mention, he emits a smile that could melt people.
Anyways, glancing at his body measurements, he is indeed a man of tall height. He has a height of 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 meters) while weighing 92 kg (203 lbs). Well, he wears a shoe size of 11 (US).
Moving on, Ohtani features a chest size of 43 inches, a biceps size of 16 inches, and the waist size of 34 inches
Shohei ohtani Education?
Shohei Ohtani attended and graduated high school from Hanamaki Higashi High School.
During those days, he realized his capability in baseball. As a youth player, Shohei was a big fan of power-hitting left fielder Hideki Matsui from Tokyo’s Yomiuri Giants.
Additionally, he never left a single match of the player and often watched it on television.
Shohei ohtani career
All along with his high school career, Shohei Ohtani discovered and worked on his capabilities. Well, he is both interested in being a hitter and a pitcher. As a high schooler, he posted a 160 km/h (99 mph) fastball.
Back then, he ventured and featured in numerous tournaments. In the 2012 Under-18 Championship, Shohei posted 16 strikeouts, eight walks, five hits, five runs, and a 4.35 earned run average. Following it, it was no surprise that the young Shohei gained numerous contracts from professional teams. Here, he was also sure to play in the United States as he would leave Japan right after high school.
Later, his things took their twist as the Japanese League, and Shohei had a month-long negotiation.
After all, he signed with the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, where Ohtani served both as a pitcher and position player.
Of course, Shohei Ohtani started early on the professional field at the age of eighteen. Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters drafted him on the team on March 29, 2013. In the early stages of his career, Shohei Ohtani registered the record of the fastest pitch by a Japanese high school pitcher at 99 mph. He participated in the 2012 18U Baseball World Championship and at the end of the competition, he had the impressive record of 0-1 win-loss with 16 strikeouts, eight walks, five hits, five runs, and a 4.35 earned run average in a total 10 1⁄3 innings pitched. HeHe had made up his decision to go to the US to play in the major leagues after high school. Subsequently, he was at the receiving end of much interest from some of the biggest baseball clubs in the world, including the Texas Rangers, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and Los Angeles Dodgers. He made his intention of relocating to the US and playing there publicly on October 21, 2012. However, the Nippon-Ham Fighters under the leadership of their general manager Masao Yamada took a huge risk by choosing him as their first draft pick anyway and spent the next few weeks convincing him to stay in Japan. Among other things, they pointed out that if he stayed in Japan he would not have go through the grind of the US minor leagues and instead, would be able to spend his formative years as a player in MPB, where he could earn millions from a litany of endorsement deals as well as be hailed as a national hero.
Shohei Ohtani Net Worth
Stepping into the professional field, Shohei Ohtani hasn’t only bought fame and success and has earned quite a lot. However, Ohtani’s net worth is still under review.
As a rookie, Shohei signed a year contract that earned him an average salary of $545,000. Following it, he earned an annual average of $650,000.
Initially, he signed with the Los Angeles Angels with a signing bonus of $2.315 million. However, recently, he resigned his contract with the Angels for two years worth $8.5 million.
As of 2021, Shohei is reported to make an annual average salary of $4,250,000.
Some of his endorsement deals include Asics, JAL Airlines, Mitsubishi Financial Group, Seiko Watch in Japan, Fanatics, Oakley, and Topps.
According to the sources, Shohei earns almost $10 million from his endorsement deals. Likewise, he is also the brand ambassador for Tokyo Nishikawa—an air mattress company.
Some of the other companies that he stood as an ambassador are Savas Protein Powder, Aquarius Sports Drinks, Oakley Sports Sunglasses, and Descente, a sports apparel company.
Furthermore, all of his brand deals earn him around $1 to $2 million.
Shohei Ohtani wife
Talking about Shohei Ohtani’s personal life, he is still single. Yes, he is not married; however, he has been involved in numerous dating rumors before.
At first, he was linked with a Hawaiian pitcher and sports marketer, Kamala it Dung.
Apparently, they were seen in a picture together; hence, the words spread out. As for his posts and updates, Shohei is still single
