From an early stage in high school, Shohei Ohtani had made it clear that he wanted to challenge Major League Baseball.
Because of that, even after being drafted by the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters in 2012, he later admitted that he initially thought he would not join a Japanese professional team.

At the time, Dodgers scout Keiji Kojima was deeply impressed by Ohtani’s unwavering determination. Seeing the conviction on his face, Kojima felt that Ohtani was not simply dreaming, but genuinely trying to become something real—someone willing to step into the unknown in pursuit of his full potential.

Reflecting on that period, Ohtani explained his mindset clearly.
He was not driven only by the desire to challenge himself. More than that, he was fascinated by the question of how far he could go if he chose a completely different path from others. His curiosity about his own limits outweighed concerns about risk or uncertainty.

While Japanese stars such as Hideo Nomo, Ichiro, and Hideki Matsui had already paved the way to MLB, they all followed the traditional route—proving themselves in Japan before heading overseas. Ohtani’s decision to consider America straight out of high school was unprecedented and widely viewed as unrealistic.

Yet for Ohtani, the question was never whether success was guaranteed.
What mattered was discovering what kind of player he could become by choosing a path no one had taken before. If there was a possibility, he believed it was worth trying first and worrying about the outcome later.

That same curiosity—to test his limits through unconventional choices—has remained a constant force throughout Ohtani’s career, from high school to the major leagues.

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.170