Top 17 Shohei Ohtani's heartwarming childhood pictures

Two-way phenomenon Shohei Ohtani has been the face of the MLB for the last few years.

The Japanese star is a one-of-a-kind player who can excel on both sides of the plate. That has led him to win American League MVP honors two times in the last three seasons. Fans have taken a liking to Ohtani and want to know more about him.

Recently, an Instagram handle named Shohei Ohtani Brasil uploaded a series of photos compiled in the form of a video on social media. There are 17 photos of Shohei Ohtani's childhood until the time he came to the MLB.

Check out the photos here:

A beautiful poem was written in the caption, whose English translation goes like this:

"I know you will get stronger when you get older, just don't shrug your shoulders when you get older; things are not easy if you don't keep calm now; you will never achieve all lights will guide the way all your fears will disappear."

The above video shows glimpses of Ohtani's childhood and his photos with his family, friends, local teams and relatives. It's the perfect culmination of his life to date.

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Shohei Ohtani's early life

The Dodgers superstar was born on Jul. 5, 1994, in Ōshū, Iwate, Japan, to Kayoko and Toru Otani. His mother was a badminton player, while his father was an amateur baseball player in the Japanese Industrial League.

Shohei Ohtani went to Hanamaki Higashi High School in the Iwate Prefecture of Japan. There, he grabbed the spotlight, as he threw a 99-mph fastball despite being just 18.

During the 2012 18U Baseball World Championship, Ohtani had a 0-1 win-loss record, 16 strikeouts, eight walks, five hits, five runs and a 4.35 earned run average in 10.1 innings pitched.

His performance entailed multiple inquiries from professional teams in the NPB. He was drafted in the first round by the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. He had multiple accolades there before moving to the MLB with the Los Angeles Angels.

Fast forward to the present, Ohtani is one of the highest-paid athletes in America after signing a 10-year, $700 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.