"Ohtani is trying to channel Babe Ruth while hitting" - When Ian Kinsler highlighted the distinction that separated Shohei Ohtani from Yu Darvish

On the surface, one could be forgiven for underscoring the similarities between Shohei Ohtani and Yu Darvish. Both All-Star Japanese pitchers who have had tremendous success at the MLB level, there may be more seperating the pair than meets the eye.

In a quoted passage from Jay Paris' 2018 book, The Amazing Story of Baseball's Two Way Japanese Superstar, former MLB second baseman Ian Kinsler compared the two. Kinsler, who spent two years playing with Darvish in Texas claimed that their national origin is the only similarity that the pair share. Kinsler said:

"“They were just different players, different mentality, different personalities. I think there are some similarities as far as the hype of them coming over from Japan and stuff like that.” Of course, Darvish was strictly a right-handed starter. Ohtani is trying to channel Babe Ruth while performing as a starter and hitting on a regular basis"

According to Kinsler, Darvish is more of a pure starter who had more time to adjust to MLB from Japan. Meanwhile Shohei Ohtani is more reminiscent of New York Yankees legend Babe Ruth in his two-way abilities, which were honed over more time in Japan's NPB. Last season as a member of the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani led the AL in home runs, on-base percentage, and total bases, all while going 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA.

Born in Japan to a Japanese mother and a Persian father, Darvish made his MLB debut in 2012. In his sophomore season of 2013, Darvish went 13-9, boasting a 2.83 ERA alongside a league-high strikeout count of 277. Known for his studious approach, Darvish is in the midst of his six year, $108 million deal with the San Diego Padres.

"Yu Darvish and Shohei Ohtani in the same rotation during the WBC is going to be so much fun to watch" - Baseball King

Meanwhile, Shohei Ohtani's ten-year, $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers in December set a professional sports record. Under the terms of the deal, Ohtani will see $680 of the $700 million deferred until the completion of his contract in 2034.

Shohei Ohtani and Yu Darvish will both be celebrated for decades

Although Darvish is seen as a top pitcher, Ohtani is nothing short of legendary. Already breaking records, fans still have another decade to watch what he does in Los Angeles. Although the pair do indeed share similarities, it is broadly understood that there will only ever be one Shohei Ohtani.