Appreciating Shohei Ohtani – LA Dodgers coach celebrates three-time MVP: ‘This guy is the elite of the elite’
Dodgers third base coach Dino Ebel has known the now three-time MVP from Japan since his rookie year. “He truly deserves it,” he says.
Enjoy Shohei Ohtani while you can. Because no one will play baseball like him ever again.
That’s the message from Los Angeles Dodgers third base coach Dino Ebel, who spoke with Olympics.com on Friday (22 November) in Tokyo, hours after Ohtani won his third MVP award – and his first in the National League.
“I don’t know what’s in the minor leagues or who they’re drafting in different clubs. I hear there’s more two-way players in the minor leagues trying it, pitching side, hitting side. But this guy is the elite of the elite. So if somebody’s even close to him, they’ve got a pretty special player.
“We’re happy that one, he’s a Dodger and two, that he’s MVP and he truly deserves it. Just many, many big hits for us, many big stolen bases.”
Ebel is currently in town with Team USA for the Premier12 tournament. All of Japan woke up to the expected news on this day of Ohtani’s becoming the second player in MLB history to win MVP in both the American and National Leagues.
The 30-year-old two-way superstar previously won in 2021 and 2023 with the Los Angeles Angels, where he made his Major League debut in 2018. Ebel, who back then was third base coach for the Dodgers’ crosstown team, has known Ohtani ever since he arrived stateside.
The sight of Ohtani high-fiving Ebel as he rounds third after hitting one of his monstrous home runs has become an all too familiar one, especially after a historic 2024 campaign in which the US$ 700 million unicorn clubbed 54 home runs and stole 59 bases in the sport’s first 50-50 season.
“I look back and see that day in Miami when he hit three home runs, 50-50, stole the bases,” Ebel said of the game on 19 September against the Marlins, when Ohtani went 6-for-6 including three homers, stole two bases and drove in 10 runs to reach the unprecedented mark.
“Just a super talented player who continues to want to get better and now for next year, he’s going to start to pitch again. So, exciting for the Dodgers and for Shohei.”
Ebel, 58, has been around the game for a long time but he has never seen anyone with Ohtani’s talent and perhaps more importantly, drive. It is the latter which separates Ohtani from the other stars, past and present, Ebel says.
“Mike Trout, Albert Pujols, a bunch of superstar elite Hall of Famers. Vlad Guerrero Sr. But Shohei is just unique because one, there’s not really anybody who does them both,” Ebel said.
“That’s the difference to me, just to watch the daily work, everyday routine, how he prepares on the offensive side and now I got to see him prepare bullpens and the training part of the pitching side of it.
“And it’s just incredible, every day, to see what he goes through in the weight room. A lot of people don’t know what he does. His routine, he’s just constantly working on his body and he just wants to be the best player and that’s what he strives to do. His work ethic is just unbelievable.
“Again, there’s a lot of guys who have great work ethic – Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, name after name, but he’s just a little bit more special because one, it’s hard to hit in the big leagues and he does that. And two, it’s hard to pitch in the big leagues and to do both is just an incredible sight to see for a coach like me.”
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