If baseball fans are lucky, Shohei Ohtani's greatness in the batter's box and maybe even on the pitching mound could be on display for at least another decade.But in the minds of many, the 30-year-old is already on the shortlist of the sport's all-time legends.The Japanese superstar added to his absurd feats on Thursday, becoming the first player in Major League Baseball history to have 50 homers and 50 stolen bases in one season.He hit both marks in grand fashion, with his first three-homer game, his first six-hit game and a franchise and career-record 10 RBIs in Miami.“There’s definitely arguments that could be made that he’s better than Babe Ruth,” Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo said Friday.
“Everybody always talks about Babe Ruth and him being one of the greatest baseball players, if not (the greatest) of all-time.“I think we’re playing with the modern-day Babe Ruth here.”Ohtani is only in his eighth big-league season after playing five years in Japan, but it's fair to wonder if he's already cemented a plaque in Cooperstown.He's the overwhelming favorite to win his third Most Valuable Player award this season, according to BetMGM.
“I feel like his pace, I feel like his potential, it’s looking to be a one of the best (careers) ever," Astros outfielder Jason Heyward said.“Of course, we all know as players that he has to continue to play and finish out his career, but I feel like he has the potential to do so many more special things and create numbers that, you know, we’ll look back home one day and say we don’t know if anyone will get to those.”Ohtani could add to his legend in the coming weeks when he makes his postseason debut.
His Los Angeles Dodgers qualified for October baseball with Thursday's win and will be among the favorites to win the World Series.There's even the slim chance he could return to the mound during the postseason after elbow surgery during the offseason.“We leave it to other people to decide who the all-tim...