“It’s going to be fun to watch” - Former Angels manager Mike Scioscia believes a Fernandomania is in store for Shohei Ohtani with Dodgers

Could Shohei Ohtani be like Fernando Valenzuela was for the Los Angeles Dodgers? Mike Scioscia, who managed Ohtani briefly, believes the signing of the Japanese superstar could have a cultural impact on the area. That's what happened with Valenzuela, and Sciosca believes there could be a repeat of the Fernandomania phenomenon.

Scioscia, the starting catcher on that Dodgers team, told The Messenger in an exclusive interview:

“With Shohei, there’s going to be an incredible amount of attention put on him. He’s talented enough that he can reach the expectations that people have. It’s going to be fun to watch. He’s an incredible athlete. But what it means as far as the cultural aspect remains to be seen.”

Ohtani will bring a lot of new fans to the Dodgers and will be the face of baseball with them. No player can equal his feats on the diamond, and now he's with arguably the most prominent franchise. Shoheimania could truly be on deck.

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Mike Sciosca compares Shohei Ohtani to Fernando Valenzuela

Mike Sciosca is a person who has first-hand experience with both Fernando Valenzuela and Shohei Ohtani. He caught Valenzuela on that Dodgers team and he was the manager for the Los Angeles Angels when Ohtani came over.

Mike Sciosca knew both Shohei Ohtani and Fernando Valenzuela

As such, he is uniquely qualified to speak on both, and he believes there are some comparisons to be made. He stated via The Messenger:

“We had some veteran pitchers — Jerry Reuss, Burt Hooton, Bobby Welch. As far as where Fernando was going to be slotted in, you knew he was going to get a chance to start. There was not a buzz, but internally, we knew how good [Valenzuela] could be. We had every bit of confidence in him.”

He admitted that the world didn't realize how talented Valenzuela was, but that they quickly picked up on it:

“The energy at Dodger Stadium was incredible when Fernando was pitching. Everything was aligned to where you had a pitcher from Mexico that was so talented, and he came and just took, not only Southern California, but all the baseball world by storm."

While Ohtani is already a known quantity that fans are brimming with excitement for, he believes another frenzy could sweep the nation when Ohtani gets going for LA.