Shohei Ohtani says he feels like a rookie again with Dodgers - ESPN

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Roughly 70 media members formed a half-circle around a small backdrop at the Los Angeles Dodgers' facility late Friday morning, waiting for Shohei Ohtani to conduct his first media session. About a dozen of them had shown up hours earlier, before the sun had fully risen, just to catch a glimpse of him driving into the players' parking lot.

Ohtani's gravitas has been glaringly obvious through the first two days of spring training, but he's merely trying to conduct himself as the new guy. After six years with the crosstown rival Los Angeles Angels, he sees himself as a «rookie» all over again.

«I like to go up and say hi, introduce myself,» Ohtani said through his interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara. «But there are so many people that I have to make sure I don't introduce myself twice. If I do, hopefully they'll let it go.»

Ohtani said he's close to swinging at full intensity and will soon begin hitting velocity, a sign that he remains on track to be the Dodgers' designated hitter when the team opens its season in South Korea on March 20. He dismissed concerns about the complexities of preparing himself as a hitter while rehabbing elbow surgery as a pitcher, noting he previously went through that process leading up to the 2022 season. He believes it will be «easier the second time around.»

The dedication and discipline that allowed Ohtani to thrive as a two-way player from 2021 to 2023 is already standing out. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has noticed how «intentional» and «regimented» Ohtani is with his work, adding that «every minute on the clock matters,» leaving precious few of them for small talk. Other players, Roberts said, have made it a point to observe him.

«I don't think I've ever seen anybody more