Dodgers Team News

Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani Sent ‘Ohtani’ Astros Jersey to Scout Who Recruited Him to Houston

Shohei Ohtani has proven time and time again that he is a genuine person.

Throughout the recruiting process for him coming to Major League Baseball, he showed international scouts just how grateful he was for the opportunity.

Oz Ocampo was the director of international scouting with the Houston Astros during that time and recently detailed a thank you package he received from Ohtani.

“I still do,” Ocampo said about still having the gift. “I submitted the proposal for Shohei to come to Houston and he wrote a very nice note saying, ‘Thank you very much. I appreciate all you did.’ And then the Ohtani jersey.”

Ocampo added that he plans to keep the jersey forever.

“That’s not going anywhere,” he added.

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Ocampo has been very outspoken about his feelings towards the Los Angeles Dodgers organization this year. In January he threw shade at the team on social media.

Read more: Former Astros Exec Appears to Throw Shade at Dodgers for Big Spending to Acquire Talent 

Ocampo shared a post on X (formerly Twitter) from the official MLB account that highlighted Houston pitcher Framber Valdez. The former executive, now a professor at Rice University, added the caption, “Didn’t cost us $1.032 billion to put it together either.”

It’s clear that Ocampo was expressing some frustration about the Dodgers’ financial investments in building a top-tier roster. However, the Dodgers continue to successfully acquire talent and win games, doing so without the need for controversial tactics.

It’s worth noting that Ocampo was with Houston during the 2017 season.

More news: Gavin Lux Appreciates Dodgers For Where They Traded Him

Ohtani never suited up for the Astros and spent the first six Major League Baseball seasons with the Los Angeles Angels and then signed a massive 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers ahead of last season.

While recovering from a second significant right elbow surgery, Ohtani delivered the best offensive performance of his career. Despite a slow beginning at the plate, he finished the season leading the National League with 9.2 bWAR. Ohtani also topped the NL in runs (134), home runs (54), RBIs (130), on-base percentage (.390), slugging percentage (.646), and OPS (1.036).

Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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Maren Angus

Maren Angus-Coombs was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. Despite being raised in the South, her sports obsession has always been in Los Angeles. She is currently a staff writer for Dodgers Nation and the LA Sports Report Network.

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