Justin Verlander’s brother admits Shohei Ohtani is the reason he gets mocked at work

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani is arguably the biggest name in baseball right now and has a massive fan following. Justin Verlander's brother and MLB analyst Ben is one of his biggest admirers.

Since Shohei Ohtani's $700 million move to the Dodgers last offseason, Ben Verlander has often seen lavish praise on the Japanese two-way phenom, often labeling him as the greatest MLB player.

Ben's adulation for Ohtani has seen him receive backlash from fans of other MLB teams. The analyst admitted the flak he receives from his coworkers in a social media post because of his admiration for the Dodgers star.

"Just a friendly reminder. I am going to post about Shohei Ohtani a lot this year. I have for years and have been ridiculed about it for years. Including by my own colleagues. It won’t ever stop. I was right to. Now everyone does it. Shohei the 🐐"

Ben Verlander followed in the footsteps of his legendary brother Justin by joining him at the Detroit Tigers in 2013. He spent five years with the franchise and later turned into an analyst. He works as an MLB analyst for Fox Sports and hosts the Flippin' Bats podcast.

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Justin Verlander's brother lauds Shohei Ohtani after Spring Training debut for Dodgers

Shohei Ohtani played his first game of Spring Training for the Dodgers against his former team, the Los Angeles Angels, on Friday. The three-time MVP, coming off a shoulder surgery in the offseason, smoked a home run in his first plate appearance in the game.

Ben Verlander reacted to Ohtani's first home run of the spring, praising the Japanese superstar on X.

"Shohei Ohtani just had his 1st AB since shoulder surgery. He just hit an oppo no doubt HR and followed it up with this bat flip. He’s simply the greatest of all time."

This was Shohei Ohtani's first at-bat since the Dodgers' World Series triumph last October. The three-time MVP is set to return to the mound later this year, and the Dodgers are trying to ease him back into pitching duties. Ohtani will continue in his role as a designated hitter for the team instead of taking rehab assignments to pitch in minor league games.