Shohei Ohtani grew up playing not only baseball, but a wide variety of sports.

Videos posted on YouTube show Ohtani juggling a soccer ball during what appears to be breaks from baseball practice.
Many viewers reacted with comments like, “He’s good at soccer too.”

After winning the World Series with the Los Angeles Dodgers, another video gained attention: Ohtani taking shots on a basketball court at teammate Mookie Betts’ home, joined by his wife, Mamiko.
These moments reinforced the image of an athlete with exceptional overall athletic ability — someone who seemed capable of excelling at almost anything.

Because of this, many believe that even if Ohtani had chosen a sport other than baseball, he could have reached a very high level.

As an elementary school student, Ohtani did not have an especially strong passion for soccer.
However, because it only required a single ball, soccer was something he often played during lunch breaks and after school.

To Ohtani, soccer was simply play.
Baseball, on the other hand, was the sport he approached seriously.

His father played baseball through his years as a working adult, and his older brother Ryuta — seven years his senior — also belonged to a baseball team.
His mother and sister regularly went to support his brother, meaning that baseball, not soccer, was always close to Ohtani from a very young age.

When he joined Mizusawa Little League in the second grade and experienced team baseball for the first time, he found it genuinely fun and exciting.
From that point on, baseball became something he pursued with effort, dedication, and seriousness — not just a game, but a lifelong commitment.

Source

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

Shohei Ohtani: Baseball Soaring Years I – Japan 2013–2018, p.256