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As the LA Dodgers won the World Series in 2024, arguably the most important player was superstar Shohei Ohtani, who enjoyed a spectacular individual season, taking home the NL MVP award in November.
Though many have predicted the 30-year-old to surpass his previous campaign's performances in the new season, insider Rob Parker said the Japanese phenom has 'plateaued.'
Appearing on Thursday's "MLB Now," Parker argued that Ohtani's RBI numbers for 2025 are too low, claiming that the four-time All-Star will fall short of the sky-high standards he set for himself last year.
A clip of Parker's controversial statements was uploaded to X.
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Reacting to Parker's take, plenty of fans commented, voicing their disagreement.
"What a moronic statement to make, especially in the age of endless stats showing how many times Shohei has been up with runners on base this year," a fan wrote.
"I thought we all agreed that wins/loses for pitchers and RBI/Runs for hitters are some of the dumbest stats in the sport that have very little to do with your own abilities," another fan posted.
"What a lazy take. How many ABs has he had with RISP (runners in scoring positions)?" one fan said.
Here are other fan reactions:
"This has to be a rage bait segment lol," a fan wrote.
"Who listens to Rob.. Ohtani is a lead off and the bottom of the line hasn’t been on base! As evidence, Ohtani leads MLB in RUNS!! Rob says he watching Dodgers game, which must be a lie," another fan tweeted.
"Plateaued at a 9 fWAR offensive output? lol," one fan commented.
Shohei Ohtani takes his home run tally to 11 for the season with towering blast at Chase Field
As NL West powerhouses, the LA Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks faced off for their series opener at Chase Field on Thursday, fans would have expected a high-quality game with both teams boasting plenty of firepower in their ranks.
That's exactly what they got, with three different hitters hitting home runs on the day. Though his team lost the game 5-3, Shohei Ohtani hit his eleventh home run of the season in the top of the ninth inning.
Despite the loss, the Dodgers are still in a strong position, with a 25-13 record, the joint-best in all of the majors alongside the Detroit Tigers. As the team looks to make it back-to-back World Series titles come October, fans will hope Shohei Ohtani can continue leading by example at the plate.
