Over/Under: Shohei Otani 114.5 Games

There has been much speculation about the Angels usage of potential two way star Shohie Otani. The consensus is that he’ll be part of a six man pitching rotation and serve as a DH/pinch hitter/pinch runner on other days.

Of course to play in MLB games he’ll need to make the MLB roster, which is no guarantee as of this writing.

Here’s how I came up with 114.5:

162 games/6 man rotation = 27 times his rotation spot will come around.

25 weeks x 3 DH days per week = 75 games played.

Occasional pinch hit and/or pinch run days.

Will Otani appear in over or under 114.5 games in 2018?

Why the Over: Otani appeared in 104 games as a position player and 21 as a pitcher in 2016. He’s back to full health and the MLB schedule is longer than Japan’s. A lefty off the bench with good speed should get at least a handful of late game calls per month.

Why the Under: He only pitched 25.1 innings last year so expecting him to make 27 starts is a stretch. And he’s considered to be a better pitcher than hitter, so 3 days a week at DH might be a stretch as well. Oh, and his Spring Training numbers to date indicate some minor league time might be well deserved.