Stephen A. Smith doesn't care about baseball world's reaction to his Shohei Ohtani take - "Tell the baseball community to shut the hell up"

Stephen A. Smith is one of the most recognizable analysts in the world of sports, but this does not exempt him from debatable hot takes. One of the most interesting comments that Smith has made when it comes to the baseball world involved its greatest superstar.

On a recent episode of First Take, the polarizing Stephen A. Smith made yet another headline-grabbing announcement, stating that Shohei Ohtani is not worth the estimated $500 million that many expect he may command in free agency. Smith said that the Los Angeles Angels' lack of success and apparent low attendance means that Ohtani is not worth the contract.

“I don’t want to hear any discussions anymore about him getting a half a billion dollars. There’s a bunch of empty seats that I see when Shohei Ohtani’s pitching, let alone hitting… you’re not filling anything, you’re not winning, I’m not giving up that kind of money for him.”

Naturally, the baseball community jumped on Smith and his perceived contempt for Shohei Ohtani. Popular MLB podcaster and YouTuber Fuzzy even called in to his show, to which Smith said:

"Tell the baseball community to shut the hell up."

"Dear baseball community.. from, Stephen A Smith" - @fuzzyfromyt

Fans were quick to point out the many problems with Smith's uninformed take. Some mentioned how a single player can only do so much to influence the outcome of a baseball game as it is heavily reliant on team play. Others targeted his apparent favoritism and biased opinions toward basketball and football.

During the phone call with Fuzzy, Stephen A. Smith even admitted to the fact that he does not watch baseball, which added fuel to the fire.

"Can confirm from Stephen A. Smith himself: He does NOT watch baseball outside of a few Yankee games. He did NOT look up attendance before his Ohtani doesn’t fill seats take. He says people don’t care about baseball and that’s why they don’t talk about it often on ESPN" - @fuzzyfromyt

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Stephen A. Smith has a history of controversial takes involving Shohei Ohtani

Previously, Stephen A. Smith sparked outrage in the baseball community yet again when he explained that the Los Angeles Angels two-way superstar could not be the face of the MLB due to the fact that he does not speak English.

Smith's opinion on Shohei Ohtani was universally looked down upon by the majority of fans, with many notable figures, including MLB journalist Jeff Passan, condemning the take.

"Jeff Passan very politely made Stephen A Smith look like a fool this morning on First Take over his Shohei Ohtani take." - @thesportsontap