Shohei Ohtani (Angels) is the “player’s player” in the eyes of major leaguers. In a survey of active players conducted by American sports publication The Athletic, Ohtani received the most votes for a player who would be a pillar of the team, a player who would represent the team.
The first question, “If you had to create a team today, who would be the first player you would sign,” was answered by all 103 players surveyed. Nearly half of them, 45.6%, chose Ohtani. Runners-up Aaron Judge (14.5%) and Ronald Acuña Jr. (9.7%) combined received less than half the votes for Ohtani.
“(Ohtani) is 1+1, you get a pitcher and a hitter, and he’s really good at it,” said one player. One player, who I thought would be the obvious choice, chimed in with, “Oh, he’s the answer, right? But that’s kind of boring.”
The second question is more subtle. Coincidentally, it was asked and answered before the first day of the Angels and Dodgers’ Freeway Series. The question was, “Where will Ohtani play next year?” and the Dodgers received the most votes (57.2% of 96). The Angels remained at 11.4%, followed by San Diego, the Mets, and the Yankees.
“Who has the most money (owners)?” asked one player, while another said, “If the Mets and San Diego are in a bidding war, the Dodgers will get it.”
Reaction to the rule changes was generally positive. We asked each rule to rate their satisfaction on a scale of 1 to 5, with the shift limit getting the best response, with an average rating of 3.9 from 102 respondents. “Because I’m a left-handed hitter, and the shift has destroyed my career for the last three years,” said one batter who gave it a 5.
Increased base size received an average rating of 3.7 out of 100. “Anything that makes it safer to play is a good thing,” said one player, while another said, “I don’t think it’s going to make a difference.”
PitchClock also averaged a 3.7 rating from 100 participants. The jury is still out on this one. “I’d give it a 5,” said one player, “but there are a lot of injured pitchers, so I’d like to see what happens after the season is over. I’d also like to know if there’s a correlation between PitchClock and injuries, and if there isn’t, that’s great.
In addition, 60.7% of the 102 respondents agreed that pitch clocks should be adjusted more liberally in the postseason. In games where the value of a win is greater and tensions are higher, many felt that the regular season pitch clock could be a limiting factor. Some players said that even in the regular season, more time should be given after the seventh inning.메이저놀이터
The survey was completed by 103 players from 22 organizations. Not every question was answered by every player.