Ex-Dodger, Gold Glove Winner Vouches For Shohei Ohtani’s MVP-Caliber Defense
Days ago, Baseball Hall of Famer David Ortiz publicly stated that he didn’t believe Shohei Ohtani should win this year’s National League MVP award over Francisco Lindor of the New York Mets.
Now, a former Dodgers outfielder and Gold Glove winner has come forward and declared his support of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ primary designated hitter in the MVP race.
“I’m gonna have to take Ohtani,” Andruw Jones said on Foul Territory:
Jones finished his playing career in Japan and caught glimpses of Ohtani’s greatness early on.
“What he’s doing, he’s a freak of nature,” said Jones. “I saw this kid at 18, 19 years old and I knew what kind of player he was. He didn’t stand out much as a hitter yet, but defensively, as an outfielder, he was very, very good. I would go out after batting practice, when they were taking infield, just to see him throw. He was that impressive.”
Jones saw Ortiz’s comment. While Ortiz “had great years” as a designated hitter, what Ohtani is doing is “unbelievable,” he said.
Only two players in MLB history have hit 50 homers and stolen 50 bases in any season. Barry Bonds stole 52 bases for Pittsburgh in 1990 and hit a record 73 homers for San Francisco in 2001. Brady Anderson had 53 steals in 1992 and 50 home runs four years later with Baltimore. No player had done both in the same season until Ohtani reached 51-51 on Thursday.
Jones didn’t even come close to a 50-50 season. He proudly put defense first during a career that won him 10 Gold Gloves in the outfield.
“I wanted to save runs,” said Jones, who hit 51 homers for Atlanta in 2005. “At my young age, I stole 20 every year, basically. But the older you get, it’s like, should I continue stealing or save my legs to run down fly balls in center field? My team counted on me for that.”
From where Ohtani began his career with Jones admiring him from afar to now, he just continues to impress.
“He is a great outfielder. He’s impressive. I saw him and I was like, he’s a great player. He’s got all the tools. He’s tall, speed was there all the time. His bat was shaky and I was like, ‘Man, maybe this guy would just want to stick with pitching. But he changed it. He made the adjustment and we’ve seen it,” Jones added.
Photo Credit: Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images
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