Fantasy Baseball: 5 Rookies to Watch in 2018
Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels (OF/DH/SP)
The Los Angeles Angels became the most fortunate team of the offseason when Shohei Ohtani, the young Japanese dual-threat phenom, chose to play for them over the other 29 suitors who were chasing hard after him. The leading candidate for AL Rookie of the Year in 2018 has an incredible skill set, both as a power hitter and a top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher.
In the Japanese league, the 23-year-old played five seasons and excelled both at the plate and on the mound. In 65 games last year, he batted .332/.403/.540 with 8 home runs, and also put up a 3.20 ERA in 25.1 innings (five starts). Ohtani suffered an injury that cut down on his pitching totals, but he's expected to be fine this season.
He crushed 22 homers in 104 games, had an OPS of 1.004, and made 20 starts with an ERA of 1.86, striking out 11.2 batters per nine innings in 2016. The right-hander owns a lifetime 2.69 ERA in 82 career starts to go along with an .859 OPS in 1,170 plate appearances.
Ohtani wants to hit and pitch this season, potentially being a designated hitter on the days between his starts, but it remains to be seen how season-long fantasy sites will allow owners to utilize him. Regardless, he could be a tremendous coup for whichever owner nabs him, potentially able to use one player as both an impact starter and an impact bat.
