The Los Angeles Dodgers have three currently rostered players who would get into the Hall of Fame right now, per Jayson Stark of The Athletic.
Stark reviews active players and their Hall of Fame chances annually, and included Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts and first baseman Freddie Freeman in 2025. This year, Stark moved up Shohei Ohtani from “The Red Zone” into his “In Right Now” category, making him the third current Dodger in the list.
“I was going to keep Ohtani slogging along in the Red Zone for one more year based on a sheer technicality: He hasn’t put in the required 10 seasons in the big leagues yet. (He’s only in Year 9 on this side of the Pacific.) But then …
“I found myself laughing out loud at the absurdity of that,” Stark wrote.
“This dude is, without question, the most talented human being we’ve ever seen play baseball (or possibly any sport). And I like the odds that he’ll find a way to show up on the field at least once after this year. So what the heck am I waiting for?”
The season Ohtani has produced so far certainly didn’t hurt his chances on Stark’s rankings. While not quite producing at the plate how he has over the past couple of years, Ohtani is still hitting and throwing the ball better than just about every other baseball player on the planet.
He has 22 homers and 60 RBIs this season, posting a .917 OPS despite a recent skid at the plate. On the mound, Ohtani has a 1.79 ERA through 14 starts, striking out 95 batters through 85.2 innings pitched. His pitching numbers may not change for a bit, though, as the Dodgers shut the two-way star down following some discomfort in his knee.
How Long Will Shohei Ohtani Stay Off the Mound?
Ohtani first felt discomfort in his knee in June, and missed a game on the mound and in the lineup prior to the All-Star Game, which he also missed after getting a lubricant injection.
The Dodgers originally expected him to return for Wednesday’s series finale against the Philadelphia Phillies, but scratched him from that start as well. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Monday the Dodgers will wait “a week to 10 days” until entertaining the idea of Ohtani pitching again.
The two-way star is still playing catch, but is working to reduce the stress on his leg.
Which other Dodgers do you think will make it into the Hall of Fame?
2 Responses
Jayson stark forgot Tommy Edman
No he didn’t know he didn’t forget him he’s just using common sense