'Cyborg' Shohei Ohtani earns All-Star pitcher's praise for exceptional performances after MVP season

LA Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani is receiving praise from all corners following his third unanimous MVP, his first in the National League this year. Ohtani's offensive numbers were so great that, despite playing solely as the designated hitter, the Japanese star became the first player in major league history to win the award as DH.

The latest praise for Ohtani came from former New York Mets ace Noah Syndergaard, who appeared on "The Baseball Insiders" podcast as a guest. Host Adam Weinrib asked Syndergaard about the time when NL games used to have pitchers appearing on the plate. While talking about it, the 2016 All-Star went on to praise Ohtani for his two-way abilities.

"That’s what makes whatever Shohei is doing so amazing to witness—he keeps raising the bar," Syndergaard said (13:32 onwards). "He only got to DH this year, and you can see how incredible he is on the base paths and how many home runs he can actually hit.

"At the same time, I was always going up there trying to hit home runs because I didn’t want to exhaust myself on the base paths. There’s no better way to describe it than whatever Shohei is doing, because I truly don’t know. And if you have the answer, I’d love to know, but the guy’s a cyborg. There’s absolutely nobody like that man."

Shohei Ohtani expected to pitch in 2025

Not many would know, but Shohei Ohtani played the 2024 season while also rehabbing the elbow surgery he underwent in September 2023. To manage the workload and required pitching program while also turning up for 159 games played is a sheer example of the two-way star's resilience.

Ohtani also suffered a shoulder injury in Game 2 of the World Series against the New York Yankees while attempting a base steal. Instead of resting, Ohtani played all the games. Though not at his best, his mere presence struck fear in the opposition camp.

On Nov. 4, after the completion of the World Series, Ohtani addressed his shoulder injury, undergoing arthroscopic surgery to repair a labrum tear in his left shoulder. The good news was that it was on his non-throwing arm and wouldn't hinder his pitching rehab.

As he said after winning the MVP, he aims to get back to being the two-way star he's recognized for. So far there has been no disturbance to his timeline of returning to the pitching mound by 2025 Spring Training.