Strategy to nullify Shohei Ohtani dissected by Justin Verlander’s brother

LA Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani is doing fine, just not his usual best to begin the 2025 season. He is coming off a unanimous MVP season, which saw him become the first person in MLB history to breach the 50-50 mark as he ended the season with 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases.

He is hitting .292 along with six home runs, six stolen bases and nine RBIs. Despite Ohtani’s strong surface stats, batting .286 with a 908 OPS, an unsettling stat of his has become a talking point in baseball circles.

Justin Verlander's brother Ben Verlander pointed out on Monday's episode of "Flippin' Bats with Ben Verlander" that Ohtani has already struck out 38 times this season, second-most on the Dodgers behind a struggling Max Muncy.

Verlander argued that Ohtani’s issues stem from how opposing pitchers are treating him. (8:00 onwards)

"Everybody's circling the top three for the Dodgers, but your double-circle is Shohei Ohtani — especially when Mookie Betts, hitting behind him, isn't firing on all cylinders right now," Verlander said on his show. "You would much rather face Mookie Betts than Shohei Ohtani.

"So right now, he's almost getting pitched around — unintentionally, intentionally — and that's when we most often see Shohei Ohtani struggle, when he's getting pitched to perfection. They don't care if they walk him."

Ben Verlander suggests what Shohei Ohtani needs to do to get out of the slump

Shohei Ohtani has walked 15 times already in 26 games, proving Ben Verlander's point that pitchers would rather want to face the likes of Mookie Betts, who is not hitting all that well.

During the same segment, Verlander suggests what Ohtani needs to do to counter the effect.

"He needs to be a little more patient at the plate, and that's why we're seeing those strikeouts up a lot," Verlander said. "Pitchers are throwing their best pitch, their perfect pitches, and if they walk him, they walk him — and then they're facing Mookie, who's hitting .230.

"Right now, I just see Shohei — I don't want to say pressing, because he's hitting .286 with a 908 OPS — but he is striking out a lot. Thirty-eight strikeouts is a lot to this point in the year. I think he's just not taking his walks as much as he needs to. He's expanding out of the zone a little bit more."

However, Verlander expressed optimism and said Ohtani would be fine.

About the author

Krutik Jain is a journalist who has been reporting on baseball at Sportskeeda since 2022. It was in 2018 when the baseball bug bit Krutik, and already a cricket fan, he credits baseball's rules and Clayton Kershaw's pitching to have hooked him to the game.

A Kershaw and Mookie Betts fan, Krutik rates his favorite team LA Dodgers triumphing over Tampa Bay Rays in the 2020 World Series as his best baseball moment so far. His answer to the perennial "one player from the past you could meet" question is Jackie Robinson. Despite never having seen him play, Robinson's impact, legacy and trail-blazing journey have left an indelible impact on Krutik.

A rigorous fact-checker, Krutik likes reporting on the technical aspects of the game as well as off-field elements. When not watching baseball, Krutik is busy playing cricket, staying up to date with the happenings around the world and hiking.

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Edited by Debasish