Angels Shohei Ohtani Looking For Breakout 2021 As Two-Way Star

In just three seasons in the Majors, Shohei Ohtani has just about done it all.

The Los Angeles Angels two-way player is not standing pat. He's coming off a rough 2020 season in which he hit just .190 in 44 games of the shortened 60-game season, but now the 26-year-old is ready to put last season behind him.

He's also ready to be the two-way player that made him one of the most coveted free agents in the league in 2018.

Ohtani will get a chance to take another step on Monday, even though the game doesn't count.

He will both hit and pitch in the same game, something it looks like the Angels are willing to let him do in the regular season in 2021.

The last time he did both, Ohtani was in a groove, striking out five San Diego Padres in four innings and going 2-for-2 and a walk at the plate.

The team says that the 26-year-old will get in about three to four innings pitching and two or three plate appearances against the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

Angels manager Joe Maddon said that Ohtani very well could both pitch and hit in the same game in 2021.

“ is well thought out and I really want to give him the opportunity to listen, because it’s all about how his body feels and how much rest that he needs,” he said.

Ohtani has been sensational this spring, hitting .571 with five homers and eight RBI. If he can pitch and hit in the same game, he might just find his groove and become the star that many have been waiting to see in his fourth season.