MLB fans adoringly react to 11-year old Little Leaguer's choice of Shohei Ohtani as favorite super hero

This season, Shohei Ohtani has put forth a performance that could aptly be described as superhuman. In addition to commanding a 3.17 ERA in 22 starts atop the mound, the 29-year old Japanese star leads the entire league in triples, home runs, walks, slugging percentage, and total bases.

Often refered to as one of the best players ever, Ohtani is expected to gain offers of up to $500 milion when his contract with the Angels expires this season. While hyperbole often surrounds his very mention, at least one young fan has taken the superhuman comparisons rather literally.

With the 2023 Little League World Series in full swing, 11-year old Japanese Motoi Oda was asked to name his favorite superhero. Apparently, the young pitching ace listed his favorite superhero as Shohei Ohtani in his player profile.

"Favorite superhero: Shohei Ohtani" - Rob Friedman

Oda plays for Musashi Fuchu Little League of Tokyo. He made his LLWS debut in South Williamsport on August 21 against Japan. Upon seeing the clip, fans on Twitter have gotten all over it.

While many understand the figurative nature of Oda's remarks, it is difficult not to make similar comparisons between the Los Angeles Angels star and real superheroes.

Ohtani has achieved near-godlike status in his home nation of Japan. An estimated 55 million people, representing some 40% of Japan, watched Ohtani strike out Angels teammate Mike Trout in March to win the 2023 World Baseball Classic.

After having narrowly lost to New York Yankees star Aaron Judge in MVP voting last season, Ohtani appears to be a lock-in for the distinction this year. Judge has spent more than half of the year on the IL, while Ohtani leads the league in about half of the most commonly cited batting metrics.

Shohei Ohtani may not be a real superhero, but he will soon be paid like one

After the Angels went all-in at the 2023 trade deadline, things appear to be no better for the team. The team has not made the postseason since 2014, and now sit a sobering nine games out of the third and final AL Wild Card spot.

All of this basically confirms that Ohtani will be on the move in 2024. While it is hard to put a price on a player like Shohei, many believe that teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers will be posting offers in the realm of $500 million (or more) to lock down the Japanese sensation come this offseason.