Watch: Shohei Ohtani makes early Spring Training statement with HR off Yusei Kikuchi in Dodgers vs. Angels 

Despite undergoing shoulder surgery over the offseason, it appears it is much the same Shohei Ohtani that won an NL MVP award in 2024 that has turned up for the Los Angeles Dodgers' Spring Training camp in 2025.

Walking up to bat on Friday, for the first time since winning the World Series in October, the Japanese superstar shook off any rust in the best possible way, hitting a home run off LA Angels' Yusei Kikuchi.

Ohtani had one of the best individual campaigns ever in 2024, finishing the regular season with a .310 batting average, 54 home runs and 130 RBIs, helping his team win the NL West, the pennant and ultimately the World Series in what was his first time playing postseason baseball.

As the world champions took on the Angels on Friday, Japanese stars Kikuchi and Ohtani faced off in the first inning of the game. As many pitchers found out the hard way in 2024, there is often only one winner when taking on Shohei Ohtani.

Working a 3-2 count, Kikuchi attempted to get Ohtani to swing and miss as he threw a fastball. However, Ohtani connected with the ball perfectly, clearing the left field wall by quite some distance in the end. As one of the commentators pointed out in the clip, this makes for quite a good omen for Dodgers fans, as Ohtani also hit a similar home run to left field during his first Spring Training at-bat with the club last year.

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MLB analyst claims Freddie Freeman is a more "natural hitter" than Shohei Ohtani

Looking at stats from the 2024 season, one would be hard pressed to find a better hitter than Shohei Ohtani in all of the NL. However, according to Dodgers analyst Blake Williams, teammate Freddie Freeman is more naturally gifted in terms of hitting the baseball.

"Before he [Shohei Ohtani] broke out, he was like a pitcher first. A lot of people considered that he was only going to be a pitcher... the hitting came along later... He doesn't have that same natural hitting ability that Freddie Freeman has," Williams said on the 'DodgerHeads' podcast on Friday.

(from 22:36 mark onwards)

Though Williams' argument will likely cause plenty of debate amongst Dodgers fans, one sentiment all fans will share is the excitement of seeing the duo in action together once again, as the Dodgers kick off the new MLB season on March 18 in Tokyo against the Chicago Cubs.