"His baseball acumen is as high as I have been around" - Former Angels manager Joe Maddon hails Shohei Ohtani's baseball IQ in ESPN documentary

ESPN's documentary Shohei Ohtani: Beyond the Dream features a special highlights section showcasing the two-way player's prowess during the 2021 and 2022 season. His then manager Joe Maddon heaps immense praise on him reflecting back on the record breaking seasons.

In the middle of November this year, Shohei Ohtani: Beyond the Dream was released. Its main focus was on how the career of the Japanese sensation developed. The documentary comprises interviews with the man himself, as well as with some of the heroes he looked up to as a child and some of his peers. The featurette chronicles his journey from modest beginnings in his birthplace of Mizusawa to becoming a household figure among baseball fans.

After a tough initial seasons in the MLB, Shohei Ohtani found his footing as the modern day Babe Ruth in 2021. He won his first ever AL MVP that season and finished runner-up to Aaron Judge the following season. As the documentary cuts back and forth between the highlights from that season, it shows Ohtani's former manager Joe Maddon talking about his prowess on the mound.

"Shohei as a pitcher makes hitters look really bad based on command and movement, and he knows what he's doing. He's always creating out there in that blink moment to make an adjustment, without even thinking and just doing the right things. His baseball acumen is as high as I have been around" Maddon said.

Joe Maddon's push made Shohei Ohtani a two-way player in 2021

Shohei Ohtani came all the way from Japan as the sensation who was the first two-way player in a century. However, the first few seasons didn't go according to plan. He suffered a UCL tear and had Tommy John surgery in 2019.

It was under Joe Maddon, who took over as the skipper of the Los Angeles Angels, that Ohtani was allowed to both hit and pitch. The Angels adopted a 6-man rotation to allow Ohtani to pitch once every 7 days and serve as designated hitter in-between. Needless to say, this decision paid off quite well for the 29-year-old superstar.