Dodgers: Dave Roberts Reveals Los Angeles Wanted Shohei Ohtani

There really isn’t a player like Shohei Ohtani in all of professional sports. What he is doing in unrivaled by any other athlete, and it’s been incredibly fun to watch. The Dodgers will have at least one crack at him in the All-Star Game tonight.

But that hasn’t stopped the Dodgers from talking show Shotime. He was the talk of the town on Monday after being announced the starting pitcher for the AL in the All-Star Game. 

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was asked on Monday if he thought Shohei would be able to hit and pitch in the All-Star Game. Without hesitation and with a big smile on his face, Doc joked that Los Angeles always believed he could do both. 

We did. We wanted him. But he didn’t pick us.

It’s one of those “little bit of truth behind every joke” scenarios. The Dodgers certainly wanted Ohtani when he was coming over from Japan, and they sent a group out to try and convince him. That group included Clayton Kershaw, Justin Turner, and Chris Taylor. 

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The Dodgers met with Ohtani in a 3-hour meeting way back in 2017 before he eventually signed with Anaheim. And while Los Angeles would have loved to have had him, it worked out just fine. Ohtani gets the opportunity to DH in the American League while also pitching. And LA got their man in Mookie Betts.

Sometimes doors close for a reason. Ohtani is slashing .279/.364/.698 with a ridiculous 1.062 OPS across his 84 games. He’s essentially a lock for the American League MVP Award. 

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