Shohei Ohtani is a unicorn in a sport where we thought we'd seen it all. Simultaneously a pitcher who throws 100 mph and a slugger who launches 450-foot homers, he's rewriting what's possible in baseball. No one's had his cultural impact since Babe Ruth, and even Ruth didn't pitch and hit at this level simultaneously. Ohtani is also much more athletic and likely a bigger star globally than even the Babe was in his heyday. So, here's the question buzzing in sports bars and social media alike: Does Ohtani already belong in the Greatest of All Time discussion? Let's break it down.
The Case for Ohtani as the GOAT
Ohtani's statistics are jaw-dropping. From his groundbreaking Rookie of the Year campaign in 2018 through the end of the 2024 season, he hit .282 with 225 homers and 145 steals while compiling a 38-19 record with a 3.01 ERA and 11.9 strikeouts per 9 innings pitched. His 2021 season — 46 homers, triple digit runs and RBI, a league-leading 8 triples, and a 3.18 ERA over 130 innings — was unprecedented and earned him his first AL MVP. His sparkling 2.33 ERA and 200+ strikeouts the following year led to a fourth place finish in Cy Young voting, and only a record-breaking season from Aaron Judge prevented him from capturing another MVP. He continued to dominate on the mound in the 2023 season while also compiling a batting average over .300 and an OPS over 1.000 for the first time, earning a unanimous selection as MVP. After three years of unprecedented brilliance as both an elite hitter and pitcher, he signed the largest contract in sports history, worth $700 million over 10 seasons. An injury forced him to only play offense in 2024, and he responded by hitting .310 with 54 homers and 59 stolen bases, becoming the founding member of the 50/50 club and winning the NL MVP (only the second player to win the award in both leagues and the first to do so unanimously). He led the league in both runs and RBI, and for the second straight year he was also first in homeruns, total bases, OBP, SLG, and OPS. In the first postseason appearance of his career, he led the Dodgers to a World Series championship.
Ohtani is one of the strongest and fastest players in the world, but he's more than just a freak athlete; he's a game-changer. Teams now scout for "the next Ohtani," and young players who previously would have had to choose between pitching or hitting in the majors are now dreaming of doing both. His revolutionary play led to MLB instituting the Shohei Ohtani Rule, allowing a team to list a player as the pitcher and designated hitter on the days he starts, then remove him in one role but not the other. In the century and a half that baseball has been played professionally, only Ruth has had a similar impact in reshaping the game.
Stacking Up Against the Legends
To be considered the GOAT of baseball, Ohtani must surpass both his modern contemporaries and the ghosts of the past. Ruth is of course the closest comp: a pitcher-turned-slugger who dominated both roles. In 1919, he hit 29 homers (a record at the time) and went 9-5 as a pitcher. However, he stopped pitching regularly after 1920, focusing on hitting. Ohtani's done both at an elite level, year after year, in a tougher era with better competition. It remains to be seen if he'll be able to pitch again at a high level after his 2023 Tommy John surgery, but the three year stretch he put together prior to that has already established a new standard of excellence which may never be matched.
Willie Mays was the ultimate five tool player: a career .300 hitter with 24 All-Star nods, 12 gold gloves, two MVPs, and more than 600 homeruns and 300 steals. Shohei's old teammates Albert Pujols and Mike Trout dominated the early 21st century, with both winning three MVPs before age and injuries began to sap their superhuman abilities. Indeed, there have been many truly elite players in the batter's box, on the basepaths, and in the field. Although none of them could pitch (and none of the game's elite pitchers could really hit), these legends played the game at the highest possible level. The thing is, Ohtani's two-way brilliance has singlehandedly established a new level even higher than that.
Why It Might Be Too Early
Hold the crown, though. GOAT status demands longevity, and Ohtani's only in his eighth season in the majors. Ruth and Pujols each played 22 years, Mays 21, and even Trout's got 14 under his belt. Shohei is still in his prime at 30 years old, but it remains to be seen if he can sustain this pace into his late thirties, especially considering that he's already dealt with injury problems which cast doubt on his durability as a pitcher.
Then there's postseason pedigree. Ohtani's 2024 World Series run was a start, but GOAT contenders like Ruth (seven rings) have deeper playoff resumes. Ohtani has already turned in a number of iconic performances (his strikeout of Trout to win the 2023 WBC for Japan, his incredible game against Miami to reach 50/50, his dominance in the 2024 NLCS), but he'll need more October heroics to seal the deal.
Where Ohtani Stands Today
Shohei is off to a great start in 2025 and his trajectory is absurd. If he sustains his output reasonably well throughout the remaining years on his contract, he could retire with 500 homers, 300 steals, a 3.00 ERA, and multiple titles. That's GOAT territory. His global appeal as Japan's undisputed national hero adds weight to his case, as does his role in growing baseball's reach internationally. He is to his sport what Michael Jordan was to basketball.
So, is Ohtani in the conversation? Absolutely. His peak already stacks up well against anyone's and he's steadily building his case by making the seemingly impossible look easy. If he stays healthy and keeps rewriting record books, we might one day be saying, "Babe who?" For now, he's the most electrifying player alive, and that's a hell of a start.
What do you think, does Ohtani's two-way dominance already make him a GOAT contender or does he need more time? Drop your take on our social media and cast your vote at goat-vote.com/baseball/goat.