18 – Shoei Othani

Shoei Othani is a professional baseball player currently playing for the Los Angeles Angels of the Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in NPB for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters until 2017 as a pitcher and an outfielder. Ohtani recorded the fastest pitch by a Japanese pitcher and in NPB history at 165 kilometres per hour (102.5 mph). In 2018, he won the American League Rookie of the Year and in 2021 he was selected as the American League’s Most Valuable Player (MVP). In 2021, Ohtani’s season was formally recognized as “historically significant” and a “major impact on the sport” as he became the first two-way player in the history of Major League Baseball with 10+ home runs and 20+ stolen bases as a hitter, with 100+ strikeouts and 10+ pitching appearances as a pitcher in the same season. He is also the first player in MLB history to be an All-Star as both a pitcher and a hitter in the 2021 All-Star Game.

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