2015 WBSC Player of the Year Shohei Ohtani wins 2018 MLB AL Rookie of the Year
<p>The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) 2015 Baseball Player of the Year, Los Angeles Angels two-way sensation, 24-year-old Shohei Ohtani was named the 2018 Major League Baseball (MLB) American League Rookie of the Year.</p>
<p>In Ohtani’s first big league season, he matched one of baseball’s biggest icons, Babe Ruth, as the only player since 1900 to hit 20+ home runs and win more than four games as a pitcher in the same season. In his debut, Ohtani hit .285 with 22 home runs, while posting a 4-2 record with a 3.31 ERA on the mound.</p>
<p>Othani becomes the fourth Japanese-born player to win the MLB Rookie of the Year.</p>
<p>With the Samurai Japan National Baseball Team, Ohtani has awed audiences worldwide in major international competition, and was unhittable (13 IP, 21 K, 2 BB, 3 H, 0.00 ERA) at the WBSC Premier12 2015.</p>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Shohei Otani named 2015 WBSC Baseball Player of the Year! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Premier12?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Premier12</a>: 13 IP, 21 K, 2 BB, 3 H, 0.00 ERA <a href="https://twitter.com/FightersPR?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@fighterspr</a> samuraijapan_pr <a href="https://twitter.com/npb?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@npb</a> <a href="https://t.co/062ri43nS4">pic.twitter.com/062ri43nS4</a></p>
<p>— WBSC ⚾ (@WBSC) <a href="https://twitter.com/WBSC/status/919756774474780672?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 16, 2017</a></p>
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In 2016, he hit a ball through the roof of the Tokyo Dome.</p>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">????? Shohei Ohtani hits the ball THROUGH THE ROOF at Tokyo Dome !!!!! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GobalSeries?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GobalSeries</a> <a href="https://t.co/waNn1sZbcx">https://t.co/waNn1sZbcx</a></p>
<p>— WBSC ⚾ (@WBSC) <a href="https://twitter.com/WBSC/status/797954451986186241?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 14, 2016</a></p>
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Ohtani debuted on the world stage at the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup 2012 in Seoul, Korea, pitching and batting clean-up, before being drafted in the first round by the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB).</p>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Flashback: Shohei Ohtani: Starting Pitcher/Clean-Up Hitter/Left Fielder vs CAN at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/U18WorldCup?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#U18WorldCup</a> 2012 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ShoTime?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ShoTime</a> <a href="https://t.co/p9J4SJuNlw">pic.twitter.com/p9J4SJuNlw</a></p>
<p>— WBSC ⚾ (@WBSC) <a href="https://twitter.com/WBSC/status/983351541179432961?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 9, 2018</a></p>
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