One reason Shohei Ohtani is so widely admired goes beyond his elite performance on the field. Many people are drawn to his character—his manners, his conduct, and what is often described as his human quality.

During games, fans sometimes notice Ohtani stopping mid-walk, crouching down to pick something up from the ground. This habit traces back to his high school years at Hanamaki Higashi, where he created a famous “goal-setting sheet.” In the center, he wrote his dream of becoming a first-round draft pick. Around it were eight supporting elements, one of which was “luck.”

Ohtani believed luck could be cultivated. To increase it, he listed actions such as greeting others properly, picking up trash, and keeping his room clean.

These were not empty gestures. Even in Little League, while serving as both ace pitcher and cleanup hitter, Ohtani voluntarily helped with field maintenance, taking a rake to the dirt. In high school, he followed a principle taught by his manager, Hiroshi Sasaki: the person who stands on the highest mound should take on the least desirable tasks. Ohtani cleaned dormitory toilets without complaint.

To him, these actions were inseparable from performance.
As Ohtani explains, he believes that people who carry themselves properly deserve to see proper results. True excellence, in his view, is not only about skill or achievement, but about being worthy of the position one aims to reach.

That belief remains with him today. He continues to prioritize what is right over what is easy, investing effort not only where it is visible, but also where no one is watching. In striving for the top, Ohtani is equally committed to becoming the kind of person who deserves to stand there.

Source

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

Opening a Path, Crossing the Ocean: The True Story of Shohei Ohtani, p.130