TEMPE, Ariz. — The idea of losing Shohei Ohtani’s bat for three days in a row was so unappealing to Joe Maddon that he tried an experiment Sunday.
The Angels manager put Ohtani in the lineup as the leadoff hitter and starting pitcher for Sunday’s Cactus League game against the Padres in Peoria, Ariz.
Although pitchers have hit regularly in the National League, it’s nonetheless an unconventional move with Ohtani because he’s a impactful hitter and he’s at the top of the lineup.
“We’ve been working towards this moment, where he felt good about where he was at pitching wise,” Maddon said. “And of course, he feels good with the swing. Just pop it out there and see what it looks like.”
Here’s a lineup you dont see often.
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— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) March 21, 2021
Ohtani has hit four homers this spring, including two over the center-field batters’ eye at Tempe Diablo Stadium, and he’s 12 for 20 overall. He’s also consistently hit 97-99 mph, touching 100 mph, in his two previous games on the mound.
Ohtani has only been a healthy pitcher and hitter at the same time for about 10 weeks at the start of the 2018 season, and back then the Angels didn’t attempt to use Ohtani to hit and pitch on the same day because it was all new and they were breaking him in slowly.
This spring, after Ohtani had missed much of the past 2 1/2 years on the mound because of injuries, the Angels have taken off the training wheels, so to speak. Maddon has said repeatedly that there are no firm restrictions, and anything is on the table.
Ohtani is expected to pitch on the same schedule as the other starters in a six-man rotation, so eliminating his bat from as many as three of every six games – off days notwithstanding – would certainly be suboptimal.
“If you have to shut him down for three games – the day before, the day of, and the day after – woof, that’s a bad thought,” Maddon said. “So it’s important that we experiment right now. Because it’s all about how he feels. It’s not about how I feel.”
How Ohtani reacts to Sunday’s experiment will certainly be telling. He didn’t hit and pitch on the same day often in Japan.
Also, it could create strategic issues for the Angels in the regular season. When Ohtani hits and pitches, the Angels forfeit the use of the DH for the entire game. Once Ohtani comes out of the game, they’d need to put the pitcher in the lineup.
“If we’re going to do it, we’ve got to do it here,” Maddon said. “I’m not going to wait until the season and just ask you to do it. And then tell me how you feel. And then we could figure it out after that. And again, it’s just an option. It’s open… This is a kind of experimental mode for him. We’ll listen to the athlete after he’s had an opportunity to do it, and then we’ll we’ll figure it out from there.”
RODRIGUEZ TO THE PEN?
A couple days after Maddon said that prospects Chris Rodriguez and Reid Detmers would both get a look as candidates to break camp in the bullpen, he gave further detail on how the organization sees both.
Maddon said Rodriguez profiles more, even in the the long term, as a reliever, while they still want to stretch Detmers out as a starter.
“If you look at (Rodriguez) right now, he looks like a relief pitcher to me,” Maddon said. “But that doesn’t mean he can’t start. Just looking at the way he comes after you, the physical stuff, how intimidating he can be in the short term, it’s very interesting. I’ve not seen enough of him to know the other side of it.”
Injuries to Felix Peña and Aaron Slegers have created some uncertainty in the Angels bullpen, leading to questions about whether Rodriguez could make the team as a reliever, even though he’s pitched in just three games at Class-A in the past three years.
Detmers was just drafted last June.
FAITH IN WALSH
Jared Walsh is 5 for 27 this spring, without an extra base hit, but Maddon said he remains confident in Walsh get significant playing time at first base this season.
“I loved the swings yesterday, loved them,” Maddon said of Walsh’s 0-for-2 day on Saturday.
Although Walsh doesn’t have a significant big league sample size — his current status on the team is based mostly on a hot streak in September — Maddon said it’s still more than spring training.
“Guys that are doing really well in camp that haven’t done well in the past, be careful,” Maddon said. “Guys that aren’t doing well in camp that have done well in the past, be careful. So I don’t worry about stuff like that.”
NOTES
Brandon Marsh was set to start at center field in a B game on Sunday. It was Marsh’s first game action in the outfield this spring. A shoulder injury had limited him to DH duty…
The Angels have announced their starters through Friday’s off day, with Griffin Canning pitching on Monday, followed by Andrew Heaney, José Quintana and Opening Day starter Dylan Bundy. After that they have four remaining exhibitions, one on Saturday in Tempe and then the three Freeway Series games.
More to come on this story.
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