Barry Bonds was characterized as very low maintenance, with daily preparation leading to consistent availability and elite hitting. A manager said Bonds could be penciled into the lineup without further thought. Shohei Ohtani, a four-time MVP, is handled differently because he is both pitching and hitting while recovering from elbow surgery in 2023. The manager emphasized making decisions on a start-by-start basis to manage workload, health, and surgical considerations. This approach aims to avoid weekly distractions about whether Ohtani will hit. Ohtani delivered a strong performance by hitting a home run and pitching five shutout innings in a 4-0 win over the Padres.
"“Very low maintenance.” He prepared himself every day. If he was healthy, he was playing, and why wouldn't he? He was the best hitter in baseball. “With Barry, you just pencil [him] in the lineup and you don't think anything of it,” said Roberts, his former teammate."
"Instead, on the day he let Ohtani pitch and hit in the same game for the first time in a month, Roberts insisted he would make that decision on a “start by start” basis for the foreseeable future. That risks turning the question of “Will he hit or not?” from a discussion into a weekly distraction."
"“For Shohei, you're just constantly trying to manage his workload, his health, the surgeries and all that stuff,” Roberts said. “With Barry, it was really just turnkey. Nothing against Shohei. That's part of being a two-way player.”"
"Roberts said he believes the team can evaluate the strain on Ohtani without driving him crazy every week wondering whether he is going to hit the next time he pitches. “I think he understands that it's fluid,” Roberts said. “I don't think that there is one model. It should be a read and react thing.”"
Read at Los Angeles Times
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