Originally, Shohei Ohtani had planned to go straight to the United States after high school without playing in Japan’s professional league. However, after being selected first overall by the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, he was persuaded that beginning his career in Japan could still allow him to build a long and successful Major League future.

It was during the month-and-a-half negotiation period after the draft that Ohtani asked a question that stunned manager Hideki Kuriyama:

“How do you fail in America?”

Most players ask, “How can I succeed?”
Almost no one asks, “How do people fail?”

Kuriyama later recalled that this single question convinced him Ohtani would move in the right direction as a professional athlete.

Ohtani wanted to understand the patterns behind unsuccessful cases—why some Japanese players struggled in the minor leagues, what challenges they faced culturally and physically, and where their plans fell apart. His logic was simple but profound: successful players may have unique qualities, but failed cases might share common causes. If those causes could be identified, they could be avoided.

Even as a teenager, Ohtani was not only thinking about achievement—he was thinking about risk management.

While others focused on chasing glory, he focused on eliminating failure.

That mindset would become one of the foundations of his long-term success.

Source

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

Baseball Chronicle I: Japan Years 2013–2018, p.44