American League All-Star manager Dusty Baker on Shohei Ohtani: "He is the most incredible athlete I’ve ever seen playing baseball"

American League All-Star Game manager Dusty Baker is effusive in his praise of Los Angeles Angels phenom Shohei Ohtani. The hitting/pitching superstar will be Baker's No. 2 batter for Tuesday's All-Star Game after being voted in as the AL starting designated hitter.

Baker, the manager of the Angels' AL West rival Houston Astros, clearly is enamored with Ohtani, saying:

"He is the most incredible athlete I've ever seen playing baseball."

Shohei Ohtani enters the All-Star break as MLB's leading hitter in several categories. Hitting a career-best .302, he leads the majors with 32 home runs, a .663 slugging percentage, a 1.050 on-base plus slugging percentage, and six triples.

Playing in his third consecutive All-Star Game, Shohei Ohtani is also 7-4 with a 3.32 ERA, a 1.096 WHIP, and 132 strikeouts in 17 starts this season on the pitcher's mound.

Baker has long been praising Ohtani. In June, as the Astros were playing the Angels, Baker told reporters:

"He changed the rules. Anybody who changes the rules on anything has to be a great player. This guy, he can outrun a deer. He can throw a hundred miles an hour, hit a ball a mile."

Shohei Ohtani is the leading candidate to win the AL Most Valuable Player award this season. Should he win, it would be the second time in three seasons that he has claimed the honor. He also won the AL Rookie of the Year award in his debut MLB season in 2018.

Shohei Ohtani may be on the move this winter — or sooner

Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels speaks to the media during Gatorade All-Star Workout Day at T-Mobile Park on July 10, 2023 in Seattle, Washington.

Ohtani is in the final season of his contractual obligations with the Angels, the team he signed with after coming to MLB from Japan. He is being paid $30 million this season, but it has been speculated that he could demand upwards of $50 million a year as a free agent this winter.

Speaking to reporters via his translator during the All-Star workout day on Monday, Ohtani said:

"It sucks to lose. (I) want to win, so it gets stronger every year."

The Angels had a strong start to the season, but as injuries have mounted, the team has begun to fade. Los Angeles came into the All-Star break at 45-46 having won just once in its last 10 games.