But Fighters chief executive Toshimasa Shimada has repeatedly told Kyodo News, “He (Otani) doesn’t care about money. It’s not about the money.

You're a tad naive. How many professional athletes have said "It's not about the money"?

Plenty, but this dude walks the walk. 22 year old kid that lives to play baseball. He could wait 2 years and make 200 million plus, all the while being idolized at home making a lot more than what he's going to make. Like I said, I've been following this now for awhile and read everything I can about the kid. I want him on the M's badly. 102 mph fastball, nasty splitter and slider. OPS's over 1.000.

But yeah, you're right we've heard it a million times he just seems different.

Okay—quick pause. Yes, Otani, a multi-millionaire and one of the most recognizable celebrities in Japan, lives in a dorm not unlike the one you inhabited during university. It’s not uncommon for NPB players under the age of 25 to live in team residences and even generational talents like Otani are not exempt from such treatment. In-season, Otani stays at the Fighters major-league facilities in Hokkaido and out-of-season he sleeps at the complex in Kamagaya. If he wants to leave the dorm, he must first secure permission, either directly from his manager, Hideki Kuriyama, or from another team official if Kuriyama isn’t around. This doesn’t happen often, as Otani dislikes the attention he receives in public and has everything he wants at the Fighters complex—food, a gym, rehab facilities, entertainment. He says instead of going out, he fills his free time reading about training and nutrition or watching films about sports, such as his favourites: Rudy and Remember the Titans. He’s never been witnessed enjoying Japanese nightlife despite the entire media beat dedicated to covering his every move. (Reporters tailed him to the airport when he recently renewed his passport.) He doesn’t even have a driver’s license. “If he was up to anything, people would find out,” Coskrey says. “There’s been no scandals, no controversy. He’s just as normal a kid as you can possibly be—humble, mild-mannered, down to earth, even-keeled.”


same article:

But here’s the thing about Otani: money doesn’t motivate him. He’s earned millions playing ball in Japan, and by the looks of it he hasn’t spent a dime. He doesn’t own a car and he’s no connoisseur of high fashion. “Personally, I don’t care about money,” Otani says. “But this is not only my problem.”

Otani’s deeply aware his decision could affect future Japanese players who want to make a jump to MLB. “I don’t want to make a decision for me; I want to make a decision for them,” he says. “I want to be a role model.” He doesn’t want to come across as detached from Japanese baseball or as a player already looking beyond his time with the Fighters. He also doesn’t want to take a stand against the new rules or leverage his talent to lobby for a fairer deal, afraid it could hurt those who want to follow in his trail. Truly, he doesn’t want to let anybody down. The money is hardly a concern. “It’s going to be a tough decision for me—I’m going to be the first guy under the new system and new rules to go over there,” Otani says. “This is going to be for everybody who plays baseball in Japan. I can’t make a decision personally.”

LOL.

It's always about money.

If he says "it's not", he's fooling himself. Eventually, it will be about money.

His actions so far show it's not, at least at the moment.

I'd love it if he was different. But just put me under "skeptical" for now.

Mike Trout loves the game. Mike Trout wants lots of money. Dude lives with his mom in the off-season. Or at least he did.

He moved out last season, bought a 300 acre spread.

I don't blame anyone for wanting a lot of money. I'd love more. Sometimes people have different motives though, just not very often.

Posted by skunk206 on 11/27/2017 10:50:00 AM (view original):
If he's in the AL, I don't think he'd be allowed to hit for himself on days when he pitches. If the pitcher bats in an AL game, then his team has forfeited the use of the DH, and any subsequent relief pitcher would have to either bat for himself or be pinch-hit for. I don't believe an AL manager would be happy about effectively losing his DH once he takes Ohtani out of the game. He would probably DH 2-4 times a week on days when he's not pitching, if he proves good enough with the bat to be worth it.

He does seem best-suited (as a potential 2-way player) for the AL where he can DH instead of play the field on days when he isn't pitching. Seattle is an obvious fit based on team needs and the history of Japanese players having success there, but the Rangers and Yankees can give him the biggest signing bonuses. I hope he gets the chance to hit and pitch.

I'm not sure how the MLB DH rule is written, but in the NCAA, we can list our SP as 1/DH. When he comes off the bump he remains in the lineup in the DH slot. I doubt it, but MLB rules may be written the same way. I'll have to look it up.

He is out of the game in MLB and the team has no DH for the remainder of the game.

Posted by The Taint on 11/27/2017 8:46:00 PM (view original):
He is out of the game in MLB and the team has no DH for the remainder of the game.

Thanks. Would be interesting if they went with college rule.

How often would it matter? Provided he goes 5-6+ innings, you'd likely have the pitcher spot come up 1-2 more times after he leaves. An AL bench can cover that. If he's your best DH option, than the 2-3 ABs he gets while in the game could make it worth it.

Yankees out of the Ohtanistakes. looks like it down to Giants and Mariners according to Jeff Passan

Sux and twins out also. Wants to play for a smaller market team on the West Coast.