After high school, Shohei Ohtani initially planned to skip Japanese professional baseball entirely and head straight to the United States.
Why?
Because no one had done it that way before. Even if it meant spending two or three difficult years in the minor leagues, he believed placing himself in the harshest environment would accelerate his growth.
“I wanted to put myself somewhere tough and polish myself,” he explained.
In the end, however, he was persuaded that developing in Japan first might allow him to build a stronger foundation for a longer, more successful MLB career. He accepted that path — not reluctantly, but intentionally.
Years later, at his introductory press conference with the Los Angeles Angels, he was asked whether going through the Fighters had been beneficial.
His answer was calm and firm:
“That’s only something you can say in hindsight. I’ve never thought, ‘What if I had gone earlier?’ Everyone sent me off believing the path we took wasn’t a detour. I believe that too. I made the best choice and arrived here.”
For Ohtani, the focus has never been on whether a decision looks efficient from the outside.
It has always been about whether it maximizes growth.
What matters is not the shortcut.
It is the process.
When he eventually leaves baseball, he wants to look back and know that he chose the path that allowed him to grow the most — technically, mentally, and as a person.
For him, growth is the measure.
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.286