Shohei Ohtani is all about breaking barriers both on and off-field. Apart from touching the 50-50 milestone last year, Ohtani recently got featured in the new Beats audio campaign alongside Lionel Messi and LeBron James. The recent addition to his stable is getting featured in Fortnite. Well, getting featured in Fortnite doesn’t necessarily contribute to Ohtani’s on-field performance. However, it surely proves the value and influence he offers. So, what makes Ohtani an attractive proposition off-field compared to his contemporaries, like Juan Soto?
Shohei Ohtani is a rare “two-way” player in Major League Baseball—that is, he excels at both hitting and pitching at an elite level. Moreover, he has achieved incredible statistics that even rival those of the great Babe Ruth. While Ohtani has yet to touch the 714 homers of Ruth, he is well behind it. In other words, he is regarded as one of the most distinctive and dominant players in the sport today. If only hitting is compared, Ohtani is on par with his contemporaries. For reference, in 2024, Soto scored 128 HRs, and Ohtani made 130.
These signs have been popping up around Japan.
Which means…
SHOHEI OHTANI IS GETTING ADDED TO FORTNITE pic.twitter.com/WfNUi8qGSC
— Ben Verlander (@BenVerlander) March 10, 2025
A Japanese superstar excelling in MLB, and that too with unique skills over others—that’s the recipe for Ohtani being considered the new face of the league. He is achieving things previously unheard of from the baseball circuit. “SHOHEI OHTANI IS GETTING ADDED TO FORTNITE,” MLB analyst Ben Varlander said. Yes, the famous video game Fortnite is going to have a dedicated Ohtani skin to be played. Interestingly, he is the first from the baseball community to get featured in Fortnite. So, while Ohtani is the new face who runs the place, a few think otherwise. Who? The legend Barry Bonds.
Shohei Ohtani’s excellence still gets doubted
The legendary home run king, Barry Bonds, recently expressed his opinions about Shohei Ohtani, the star of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and his extraordinary skills. “He’s not going to steal two bases without somebody decapitating his kneecap to stop him because it’s a different game back then,” Bonds said in a podcast. Well, due to more accommodating game rules, athletes nowadays ought to outperform those of Bonds’ generation. However, it would be debatable to say that Ohtani would not have had as much success there, especially when it came to difficult plays like stealing bases.
Barry Bonds’ thoughts offer a distinctive viewpoint on the meeting point of baseball’s past and present, shedding light on the struggles and liberties that characterize the development of the game. Bonds’ appreciation of Ohtani’s skills highlights how widely acknowledged the superstar’s extraordinary skills and influence on the game are. There is no doubt that Ohtani is one of the very few players with a two-way playing ability. The upcoming years will witness a few more barriers getting broken by Ohtani. The best-ever in baseball? Too early to conclude.
While Ohtani seems on a mission to solidify his place as the MLB’s face, his team, the Dodgers, is all set to benefit from his two-way playing abilities this year. What’s you take on Ohtani getting this attention? Let us know in the comment section below.
The post MLB Analyst Hypes Shohei Ohtani’s Rumored Partnership with $30 Billion Giant appeared first on EssentiallySports.