Jason Smith and Mike Harmon discuss whether Shohei Ohtani should close instead of start considering the risk factors of fatigue if he decided to start for the Dodgers. The Dodgers need a closer more than anything with Tanner Scott's struggles right now so why not have Ohtani close?
Jason Smith:
"I have said for a while when Shohei Ohtani comes back and he's ready to pitch, he's got to close. You felt like he was throwing. If I need to pitch in the playoffs I'm going to do it. So I don't know whats happened, but this is well over a year for Ohtani to not be able to come back and pitch. So the first thing I would say is, is that if he can't come back to pitch now, why would you ever to him out there as a starting pitcher again?
Clearly his arm can't handle the stress of pitching. Two UCL injuries that's knocked him out of pitching for a long time. I get he wants to start. He's been a starter. He was terrific. But you really have to protect him for his career. He can still pitch. And we've seen pitchers with arm trouble, with guys that can't throw innings anymore, make that transition to closer and be great closers. We saw it with John Smoltz."
Mike Harmon:
"What's the math in the risk reward of getting him out there at this point. It's all these months later [since he's been throwing] so where is the math? Have they decided that the likelihood probability of a re-injury would not only keep him from ever really touching the mound again, but would force him out of the lineup? Because last year, the amazing year that he had, the stolen bases and the monstrous home run after home run, there was a medical marvel that he was out there playing after surgery right? You had no idea how it's going to affect his swing. It's going to be a problem.
Well, clearly it was not. But do you run that risk? Do you add more variables to that algorithm of what he brings to the table by putting him back on the mound? To this point, they're playing cautiously. Now they have the ability to do so given the strength of the organization and the resources at their disposal at one third of the way through the season to not hit that panic button at this point."