As one of the premier pitchers and hitters in all of baseball, it seems like Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels can do it all. So at this point, the question is can he break Aaron Judge’s American League record of 62 home runs in a season? Continue reading below to get our best Shohei Ohtani Prop bets Betting Picks and much more.
Currently, the MLB odds are at +1500 for Ohtani to break Judge’s home run record. Read ahead to get a breakdown on this Shohei Ohtani prop bet.
Current MLB Player Stats
When looking at his MLB player stats, it is no wonder why he has the best MLB odds (-800) of winning the American League Most Valuable Player award.
In terms of hitting, he is hitting .302/.387/.663 with an MLB-leading 32 home runs. He also ranks third in the majors in runs batted in (71) and ninth in runs scored (63). If that wasn’t enough, he also has 11 steals on the year.
On the mound, he is 7-4 in 17 games with a 3.32 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and he has 132 strikeouts in just 100.1 innings of work. His strikeouts rank fourth in all of Major League Baseball.
Current MLB Team Stats
With Ohtani’s success, he has made the Angels’ into a formidable offense. When you look at MLB teams stats, the Angels rank fourth in total home runs (135) and eighth in total runs scored (443).
Unfortunately, all of this success has not translated into success in the MLB standings. The Angels are 45-46, good for just fourth in the AL West, seven games behind the Texas Rangers.
MLB Home Run Pace
When examining Shohei Ohtani prop bets, the 29-year-old still needs 30 more home runs to tie Aaron Judge’s American League record of 62. Still, Ohtani’s home run pace thus far has been comparable.
At the 84-game mark, Ohtani had the exact same number of home runs Judge had at that same mark last year (30). Now at 91 games, Ohtani is just one behind Judge’s pace of 33 last season.
One of the biggest reasons for the similar pace is an unbelievable month of June for Shohei Ohtani. In 104 at-bats in June, Ohtani hit a whopping .394/.492/.952 with 15 home runs in the span of just 27 games.
Entering the All-Star break, Ohtani has been averaging a home run roughly once every three games. As it stands now, that would put him on pace for 57 home runs on the season; however, if he has another month like June, that very well could shoot up.
Reasons Why It Might Not Happen
When looking at MLB predictions and considering MLB odds, it is also important to analyze reasons why a prediction might not come to fruition. In the case of Ohtani breaking the American League home run record, there are a few things to consider.
The first reason that Ohtani might not be able to catch Judge is simply health. He had to leave his last pitching start with a blister issue. While that is minimal in itself, the fact that he hits and pitches always will make him more susceptible to an injury.
Ohtani’s Challenge
Furthermore, when looking at the MLB injury report, he could be hurt by the fact that both Mike Trout (hand) and Anthony Rendon (leg) are both on the injured list. Without those two protecting him in the lineup, opposing teams, particularly those vying for the postseason, could have little reason to pitch to Ohtani.
One last thing to consider is a change of scenery with Shohei Ohtani Prop bets. While it is tough to consider that the Angels could trade Shohei Ohtani, it is even tougher to think Los Angeles would want to see him leave with little compensation as a free agent this offseason.
The Angels are obviously hoping they can make a run at a postseason spot this season, but if not, they might have to consider dealing Ohtani at the trade deadline. If that happens and he is dealt to the National League, the record would obviously remain safe.
Will Shohei Ohtani Break Aaron Judge’s 2022 Home Run Record?
When analyzing Shohei Ohtani prop bets, this home run chase might be the most fun of them all. Even if you are not an Angels’ fan, Ohtani is one of those generational players that is hard to root against.
Still, for as phenomenal as Ohtani and his MLB player stats are, it still seems unlikely that he can catch Judge. The Angels have the fifth-toughest strength of schedule left, with several games remaining against the likes of the Rays, Rangers, Astros, Braves, and others.
With so many playoff teams still ahead of them, and so little protection in the Angels’ lineup, it is just hard to fathom that he will see enough quality pitches to truly make a run at this record.
While Ohtani has already proven in his career that he can perform the spectacular, this might be a bit too high of a mountain to climb.
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