Like any athlete, Shohei Ohtani has always aimed to win—to be the best.

However, during his six years with the Los Angeles Angels, the reality was far from that goal.

The team finished with a losing record every season.

At best, they placed third in the American League West, but more often, they sat in fourth place.

A World Series championship felt like a distant dream.

After Ohtani won the MVP award in 2021, trade rumors surrounding him never stopped.

Many voices suggested that he should leave the Angels and join a stronger, more competitive team.

In response, Ohtani said:

“You don’t really know which teams are going to win, do you?”

According to him, there are many different ways to win—and no single formula guarantees success.

Some teams spend heavily to acquire top players.

Others, like the Tampa Bay Rays, focus on developing talent without relying on large payrolls.

And some choose to rebuild entirely, dismantling their roster in order to start over.

On top of that, a player cannot simply choose where to go through a trade.

Even if someone says, “Go to a winning team,”

it’s never that simple.

Given that reality, Ohtani focused on one thing:

to commit fully to the team he was under contract with,

to believe in its future,

and to give his absolute best.

That was his mindset heading into the 2023 season.

Source

This quote comes from a Japanese book published in Japan and is not currently available in English.

Baseball Youth II: MLB Edition 2018–2024, p.213