When I choose my first Monster Card of the year after each set comes out, I put some thought into it. And while it didn’t quite make it, this Ohtani card was in the running. It wouldn’t have been his first time. What a year Shohei had! No, he didn’t pitch but he found another way to dazzle by being the first player to have a 50-50 season with LA.
With his first year with the Dodgers, Ohtani led the NL with 54 homeruns, 130 rbis, 134 runs scored, a .390 OBP and a .646 slugging percentage. On top of that, he batted .310. And yes, Shohei stole 59 bases to complete the 50-50.
Shohei dedicated his time to the designated hitter position in 2024 and it paid off. He won his third MVP award in four years.
| Split | G | GS | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Totals | 159 | 159 | 731 | 636 | 134 | 197 | 38 | 7 | 54 | 130 | 59 | 4 | 81 | 162 | .310 | .390 | .646 |
Showing off Shohei
I know some old school folk are going to be put off by Ohtani in the Designated Hitter role. I’m not a fan of the rule either but our league adopted the DH and the world hasn’t imploded yet. The fact that Ohtani didn’t play the field prompted APBA to rate him as an OF-1. Maybe someday, we will get an official ‘Designated Hitter’ role for APBA.
Ohtani has five very juicy power numbers. Specifically, he received 1-1-5-5-6. Depending on where you bat Ohtani in the lineup, those 5s could be deadly. By the way, rumor has it there are an abundance of 5s among hitters in the 2024 set. Thoughts?
To replicate his 59 steals, 2024 Ohtani received a 15-11, a 25-10 and three 14*. I’m noticing that APBA is using the 14* (as opposed to speed numbers at 51 and 31) a lot more now that steal numbers are up. In addition, Shohei has the 8-8-9-9 combination with three 14s.
Ohtani had just six hit by pitches in 2024 in 731 plate appearances. That was enough for a 42-22, though.
All this and my buddy Don Smith gets to use this card for 159 games next season in the Illowa APBA League.
Don is going to have fun with this card. I know it.
