Shohei Ohtani

Simply put, we've never seen anything like Ohtani's 2021 season. He hit 46 homers, drove in 100 runs and stole 26 bases. Oh, and he also pitched 130.1 innings, fanning 156 and going 9-2 on the mound. The incredible two-way campaign earned Ohtani the AL MVP in a unanimous vote (even as Vladimir Guerrero Jr. came close to a Triple Crown), the 19th unanimous MVP vote in MLB history. Many in the fantasy game could not bank all those stats -- the Ohtani Rules vary from platform to platform, and most in weekly lineup leagues had to choose whether to deploy Ohtani at UT or P, sacrificing one side of his production in a given week. He made seven appearances in the outfield last season and remains DH-only on offense in most formats, but Ohtani is a once-in-a-lifetime baseball player with more tools in his set than anyone else in the game. He's the easy No. 1 overall in leagues that allow daily lineup moves.

We know Ohtani can pitch at an elite level when he is healthy, and has shown excellent hitting abilities as well, but neither were present in 2020. He hit poorly around the occasional home run, and pitched only a handful of forgettable innings before shutting it down with a forearm strain. Ohtani was 21 months removed from his Tommy John surgery when the abbreviated season began; the disruption to the training schedule was the last thing any player, but particularly a two-way player, needed on the road to recovery. The poor pitching results and forearm strain coupled with the issues at the plate creates some uncertainty regarding Ohtani's future role. The once-a-week pitching plan the Angels have gone with to this point creates a bit of a headache in weekly lineup leagues. He might have more upside in those formats if he were to stick on one side of the ball.

While on the mend from Tommy John surgery, Ohtani served exclusively as a designated hitter for the Angels in 2019. The 25-year-old only saw his offensive production tail off marginally from his rookie campaign, slugging 18 home runs to go with 12 steals and a .286 average before he was shut down in mid-September for a minor left knee procedure. Ohtani enters the spring ostensibly at full health; the Angels will slow play him in camp and are not expected to return Ohtani to a big-league mound until mid-May at the earliest. If Ohtani quickly regains his pre-surgery command and velocity, he could be one of the top starting pitchers on a per-outing basis, just as he was during his 10 starts in 2018. His value would skyrocket if fantasy providers allow Ohtani to be used in a utility spot on his non-pitching days, as he should be in store for a handful of starts per week as a DH.

The two-way phenom was limited to just two appearances on the mound over the final four months of the season, but he continued to hit despite a busted UCL, and the offensive numbers were excellent. After undergoing Tommy John surgery in early October of 2018, he will be limited exclusively to hitting in 2019. If healthy, Ohtani would have a case as a top-100 overall player, but he's not expected back until May, so look for Ohtani to fall closer to pick 200 in mixed leagues. He had the sixth-best barrel rate in baseball (min. 150 batted-ball events) and a top-10 xSLG. His 92.6 mph average exit velocity ranked ahead of the likes of Khris Davis, Christian Yelich and Mookie Betts. The only real negatives besides health: he's UT-only and hit just .222/.300/.354 with a 31.8% K-rate against left-handed pitching. Even when active, he probably won't be a true everyday player, but Ohtani's numbers should be close to elite on a per-plate-appearance basis.

Ohtani could be the best player ever to come to MLB from Japan. In addition to racking up 624 strikeouts and posting a 2.52 ERA along with a 1.08 WHIP in 543 innings over the last five seasons with the Nippon Ham Fighters, Ohtani has hit .286/.358/.500 with 48 homers in 1,170 plate appearances. He's hit at least .300 in each of the last two seasons, while carrying an OBP above .400 and a slugging percentage above .500. The Angels signed Ohtani in December, and he will immediately join the front of the team's rotation. Soon after he signed, it was revealed that Ohtani has a first-degree sprain of the UCL in his right elbow, but the Angels knew about the injury before signing him. Additionally, he missed most of 2017 as a result of an ankle injury that required surgery in October. The Angels are considering a six-man rotation. With that, he may get two turns in the lineup as the DH between each start on the mound.

Ohtani is arguably the top player in the world not in MLB. The Japanese star not only throws 102 mph and had a 1.86 ERA last season, but also hit 22 home runs with a 1.004 OPS as a DH for the Nippon Ham Fighters. Ohtani appeared to be all but set to make his move to MLB following the 2017 season, but changes in the new in the new collective-bargaining agreement that restrict MLB teams' spending on international free agents under age 25 may push his arrival back as far as 2020.

Ohtani made headlines as a two-way player, Japan's first since the '60s, as a rookie in 2013. He made even more headlines as a sophomore in 2014 by comprehensively improving both sides of his game. Ohtani regularly hit 100 mph on the radar gun, and went 11-4 with a 2.61 over 155.1 innings, striking out 179 while walking 57. At the plate, Ohtani slashed .274/.314/.444 over 234 plate appearances, hitting 17 doubles and 10 home runs. Ohtani's future is pretty clearly on the mound at this point, but he's a tantalizing talent in either role. He's a keeper prospect to monitor.