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As Colorado football star Travis Hunter prepares for the upcoming NFL Draft, there's no doubt he will be a high selection in the first round due to his unicorn-like talents. While there will be people who debate about Hunter's two-way ability, someone who can relate is Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, as his former manager Joe Maddon, speaks on his experience.
Before playing with the Dodgers, Ohtani started his MLB career with the Los Angeles Angels under Maddon, where there was a conversation about him pitching and hitting simultaneously. There was concern regarding his usage, but Maddon would give advice to Hunter's future coaches and say that the only one who knows how to manage the two-way ability is the player themselves, according to Sports Illustrated.
“The player is the one who knows how to do this. The rest of us don’t,” Maddon said. “In the world of analytics, there are all kinds of equations and matrices built in order to figure out how often he’ll be able to play, how many hits he can take, how many runs over 20 yards, how fast his speed was, has he lost any of that speed, does he need any rest.”
“They’re going to go through all these scenarios to try and figure it out,” Maddon continued. “And that’s insane. Trust the player, talk to the player. You’re doing something that’s never been done before. I mean, it’s a lot of running, so rest him a couple series. If he’s playing defense and it’s three-and-out all runs, why would that bother you? Or, you could take him in and out of games earlier, almost like we do with pitchers now.”
Travis Hunter, Shohei Ohtani comparisons are prevalent
As Hunter has been compared to Ohtani before, there could also be discussion about the uptick in injuries due to playing in two different aspects of the game. Maddon, on the other hand, would downplay that thought and puts more stock in Hunter's coaches developing a “relationship” to understand him further.
“We all worry about people getting injured,” Maddon said. “Listen, people get injured. Sports are tough, and I don’t get the analytical concepts behind protecting a player from being injured.”
“It’s crap,” Maddon continued. “It’s not worth the time spent on it. There’s no—I mean, these NFL coaches know. Baseball people know. We know when a guy needs a rest, we can see it in his eyes; we just have to develop a relationship where we get honesty in return.
At any rate, it remains to be seen what Hunter's role will be in the NFL and if a team will only want him as a wide receiver, a cornerback, or even opt to play him in both areas. Either way, he's expected to be a top pick in the NFL Draft that starts April 24.
