Nicknamed "Shotime", [1] he has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Angels and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters.

In 2012, the Fighters drafted Shohei Ohtani, who made his debut in 2013. Despite Otani wanting to play in MLB, the Fighters drafted him anyways as they would have lost him to an MLB team. Otani signed with the Fighters nonetheless. Otani, with his ability to both pitch and hit, quickly became a star for the team.

Dec 10, 2023 · Ohtani's professional baseball career began at the age of 18 with Japan's Nippon Ham Fighters under manager, Hideki Kuriyama. The pair were recently reunited when Kuriyama managed Japan to...

May 25, 2024 · The story of how Shohei Ohtani joined the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (commonly known as N-Ham) is extremely important as it marks the starting point of his career. We’ll take a closer look at his achievements in high school, his draft pick by Nippon Ham, and his decision to turn pro.

Shohei Ohtani (大谷 翔平, Ōtani Shōhei, born July 5, 1994) is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher that plays for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously played for the Los Angeles Angels (MLB) and the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball 's (NPB) Pacific League .

Feb 2, 2025 · Despite his insistence that he wanted to join MLB immediately, he was drafted by the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters as the first overall pick of the 2012 Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) draft.

Initially, he wanted to go the United States right after finishing school, skipping the Japanese draft, but the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters of Nippon Professional Baseball’s (NPB) Pacific League aggressively courted him. He eventually relented and became their first pick in the 2012 draft.

Sep 20, 2024 · On October 21, 2012, Ohtani officially declared his intention to pursue a career in MLB rather than turning pro in Japan. Despite this, the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters drafted him in the...

Aug 25, 2022 · Although Ohtani's two-way role was necessitated by the need to keep him from going to the United States as a pitcher out of high school, the Nippon Ham Fighters committed 100 percent to the novel decision.

After Ohtani graduated from high school, he was drafted by a top Japanese team, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, as the first overall pick of the 2012 Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) draft. Ohtani wanted to join MLB immediately.