Shohei Ohtani, "Japan's Babe Ruth," to sign with Los Angeles Angels -- live updates
Shohei Ohtani, known as "Japan's Babe Ruth," will sign with the Los Angeles Angels, his agent Nez Balelo announced Friday.
The 23-year-old is Japan's most feared starting pitcher and it's most prolific hitter. Last year, he won the league's home-run derby and threw its fastest pitch in history.
"Shohei is humbled and flattered by all the time and effort that so many teams put into their presentations and sincerely thanks them for their professionalism. In the end, he felt a strong connection with the Angels and believes they can best help him reach his goals in Major League Baseball," Balelo said in a statement.
"While there has been much speculation about what would drive Shohei's decision, what mattered to him most wasn't market size, time zone or league but that he felt a true bond with the Angels," Balelo said. "He sees this as the best environment to develop and reach the next level and attain his career goals."
The Angels will have to his team, the Nippon Ham Fighters, a $20 million posting fee. Ohtani will sign a minor league contact and can receive up to $2,315,000 in international bonus money.
Shortly after the announcement, Angels center fielder Mike Trout seemed to react to the news on Twitter.
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— Mike Trout (@MikeTrout) December 8, 2017
In April, Ohtani spoke with "60 Minutes" and said he'd love to face MVP hitter Bryce Harper of the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw.
"Just thinking about facing [Kershaw] makes me really happy and excited. I could just tell he's such a great pitcher through the TV screen," Ohtani said. But he dismissed comparisons to Babe Ruth, for now.
"He's like a mythical character to me. Because it's such a long time ago and he was God to baseball. I shouldn't be compared to him, at least not right now," Ohtani said.
Ohtani was 3-2 with a 3.20 ERA this year, and was slowed by thigh and ankle injuries. He hit .332 in 65 games with eight homers and 31 RBIs.
CBS Sports writes that the Angels went 80-82 and fell five games short of a wild-card spot in 2017. In addition to landing Ohtani, they'll also have a full season of Upton in 2018, plus any other additions they make this offseason. While it's too early to call the Halos a World Series contender, adding Ohtani definitely pushes the Angels much closer to the postseason.