Shohei Otani turned heads with his bat during the first portion of the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters¡¯ spring camp in Peoria, Arizona. While Otani¡¯s pitching is what scouts turn up to see, he¡¯s pretty good with a bat and is a capable right fielder to boot.
Otani is probably considered to be the best hitter among Japanese pitchers, though he rarely does both in the same game. Otani has a career average of .245 with 36 doubles, a pair of triples and 18 home runs.
There aren¡¯t really any other pitchers in Japan with Otani¡¯s skills at the plate, certainly none with his power, but there are a few who are more than just automatic outs.
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