Shohei Ohtani ‘Happy’ to be the Face of Baseball, Despite Stephen A. Smith’s Criticism

Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani says he is quite happy to be the biggest star in Major League Baseball right now, despite Stephen A. Smith’s criticism over Ohtani’s lack of fluency in English.

Ohtani has become one of the most notable players in the league and recently became the first player in MLB history to be selected to the All-Star Game as both a hitter and a pitcher. He was also unanimously picked as the American League’s Most Valuable Player, only the second Japanese-born player to win that accolade since Ichiro Suzuki in 2001.

His stats are mounting, along with his prizes. He is currently hitting .257 with 46 home runs, 100 RBI, and 103 runs scored. He has also tied the MLB record for triples in a season with eight this year and has 26 stolen bases. Ohtani has earned a 3.18 ERA in 130 innings in 23 starts.

All this success, though, has not convinced ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith that the Japanese-born star is an ideal face of the game. In July, Smith took some criticism of his own for being annoyed that Ohtani is the face of the MLB even though he can’t speak English.

“This brother is special, make no mistake about it, but the fact that you have got a foreign player that doesn’t speak English, that needs an interpreter, believe it or not, I think, contributes to harming the game when that is your box office appeal,” Smith said.

MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN – JULY 11: ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith during Game Three of the NBA Finals between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Phoenix Suns at Fiserv Forum on July 11, 2021 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

Smith later apologized for his insulting comment. But it seems to be no skin off Ohtani’s nose. He’s more than pleased to be the face of baseball.

The Angels star does speak English, as well as Spanish but not fluently. That is why he prefers an interpreter, he says. Indeed, he isn’t against English at all.

“I mean, if I could speak English, I would speak English,” Ohtani told GQ magazine. “Of course, I would want to. Obviously, it wouldn’t hurt to be able to speak English. There would only be positive things to come from that. But I came here to play baseball, at the end of the day, and I’ve felt like my play on the field could be my way of communicating with the people, with the fans. That’s all I really took from that in the end.”

SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – OCTOBER 02: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels dives back to first base during the sixth inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on October 02, 2021 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)

He added that he has some little understanding of English because he was taught it as a kid in school. But as to being “the face of baseball,” he insisted that that is “what he came here for,” so, if it is happening, it’s all good.

“I’m actually happy to hear that,” he said of becoming the biggest thing in the MLB. “It’s what I came here for, to be the best player I can. And hearing ‘the face of baseball,’ that’s very welcoming to me, and it gives me more motivation to—because I’ve only had, this was my first really good year. And it’s only one year. So, it gives me more motivation to keep it up, and have more great years.”

But in the end, Ohtani thinks it is all going just as planned, “Honestly, I’m satisfied with everything. No need to make any drastic changes.”

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