Stan Kasten Gave Incredible Message to Shohei Ohtani When Recruiting Him to Dodgers
The president of the Los Angeles Dodgers is no stranger to recruiting top talent to his ball club.
When it came to the once in a generation talent of Shohei Ohtani, Kasten brought up the two-way star’s last free agency decision, while also making the MVP laugh in the process.
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After the close of the 2017 season, Nippon Professional Baseball’s crown jewel was planning a jump to the globe’s premier baseball league. Given his ability to produce a 1.86 ERA while also slugging 22 home runs in the same season, the baseball world was immediately enamored.
Ohtani then signed with Los Angeles ahead of the 2018 season, except it wasn’t the Dodgers. It was with the Los Angeles Angels that he would suit up for six seasons winning the Rookie of the Year award, two MVPs, and three All-Star honors.
Ahead of the 2024 campaign, knowing that Ohtani was recovering from a second Tommy John surgery and wouldn’t be pitching for that season, there wasn’t anything stopping the Dodgers from putting pen to paper.
Kasten shared with Dodgers Nation’s Doug McKain last week just what he said to entice the generational talent.
“We had tried to sign him seven years ago,” Kasten said. “And when we met, I told him, ‘Dude, your life would have been much different if you had signed with us seven years ago. Don’t make the same mistake.’ And he just laughed when I told him that.”
In just one season with the Dodgers, Kasten could not have been more correct in his assessment.
It wasn’t just a third MVP award, or a fourth All-Star nod, or his first time playing in the postseason and subsequently winning his first championship, or even becoming baseball’s first player to hit 50 or more home runs and steal 50 or more bases.
The kind of impact Ohtani is having on growing the game globally in the largest city of Japanese nationals outside of Japan means just as much as what he does on the diamond.
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Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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