The Los Angeles Dodgers are preparing for their 2024 home opener on Thursday. Although Los Angeles wants the focus to be on baseball, people are still talking about Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara's betting scandal. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts doesn't think the distraction will impact Ohtani, however.
“I just don't think it's going to affect performance,” Roberts said, via Bob Nightengale of USA Today. “I really don't.”
Ohtani is obviously one of, if not the best player in the sport. While the Dodgers were playing in South Korea on March 20 and March 21, though, news broke that LA had fired Mizuhara after a “massive theft” accusation surfaced.
Many rumors have swirled since the initial news broke. Ohtani recently addressed the situation and accused Mizuhara of lying and stealing money.
It has been a major storyline without question. And even without this storyline, Ohtani's first year with the Dodgers was already going to generate plenty of headlines.
So was this the craziest spring training Dave Roberts has been apart of?
“Absolutely, this one takes the cake,” Roberts said, via Nightengale.
Shohei Ohtani preparing for 2024 season with Dodgers
Roberts was asked about managing Ohtani and all of the extra attention he brings to the ball club.
“You know, I think we're doing a good job so far,” Roberts said, via Timothy Parker of Spectrum News 1 SoCal. “It's certainly a big circus and rightfully so. He has a chance to be one of the best players to ever put on a baseball uniform. Now you layer in the Japanese media and the attention that he draws.
“I think that Shohei does a great job of sort of staying focused on the job at hand. I think his teammates are doing a great job. We're not used to this kind of media circus. But that's a good thing for the Dodgers, good thing for baseball. Once the game starts, it's all about baseball. I think our guys understand that.”
The Dodgers will open at home against the St. Louis Cardinals. Their 2024 season technically already started after going 1-1 against the San Diego Padres in South Korea. The rest of the teams in MLB will play their first games of the season on March 28 and March 29.
Los Angeles has been one of the best regular season teams in baseball over the past decade. Yet, they have just one World Series to show for it. The Dodgers' playoff struggles were a major subject of discussion this past offseason.
The ball club answered the call by signing Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Teoscar Hernandez, and others. LA also acquired Tyler Glasnow via a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays.
There is more pressure than ever to win this year for the Dodgers. Anything short of a Fall Classic victory will be considered a massive failure. As long as the Dodgers ignore the distractions and outside noise, they will have a chance to enjoy a special '24 season.
Follow Us
Subscribe