Shohei Ohtani’s 2024 season was extraordinary.

Not only did he produce remarkable statistics, but he also achieved historic milestones like “50–50” that will remain part of Major League Baseball history for many years to come.

Naturally, Japanese sports news programs and television shows covered Ohtani’s performances almost every day, and fans closely followed his numbers, celebrating or worrying over each result.

For the media and the fans, numbers are everything.

But according to Ohtani, players themselves must focus on something different: feel.

He explains that if a player becomes obsessed only with statistics, the numbers themselves eventually become unstable over a long period of time.

So what does he mean by that?

Ohtani believes hitting in baseball is fundamentally a game of probabilities.

Players constantly search for ways to increase the likelihood of making good contact and producing successful results.

The difficult part is that luck also plays a major role.

A perfectly hit ball may go directly to a fielder, while a weakly hit grounder can sometimes become a lucky single.

Because of these unpredictable elements, Ohtani believes players should focus less on short-term results and more on whether their mechanics and timing “feel right.”

If the feel is wrong but the results happen to be good because of luck, that success may not last.

On the other hand, if the feel is right but the results are temporarily poor due to bad luck, the player should trust the process and continue.

That is why Ohtani said:

“Fans naturally focus on the numbers, but as a player, if you don’t stay focused on your own feel and instincts, the numbers won’t hold up over the long run.”

Numbers may fluctuate because of luck.

But over time, the statistics eventually settle where a player’s true ability belongs.

That is why Ohtani values internal feel more than temporary outcomes.

Source

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

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