The best player in baseball has gotten himself into hot water. Will the National MVP odds for Shohei Ohtani change at the best US betting sites because of this brewing scandal?
When you think of baseball movies, you probably think about Bull Durham or Major League. But how about Rashomon? This 1950 Akira Kurosawa classic isn’t actually about baseball, of course, but it can help you understand the Shohei Ohtani betting scandal.
That’s because both these stories feature multiple re-tellings of unsavory incidents. In Rashomon, a samurai is murdered, and we’re left to piece together the accounts of various witnesses. Suffice to say, those pieces don’t fit very well.
Not addressed in today’s presser. https://t.co/XFeP4SMilH
— Daniel Wallach (@WALLACHLEGAL) March 25, 2024
It’s the same thing with Ohtani. But if we dig deep, and peel back the layers, we can see that the best player in baseball today has clearly gotten himself into some hot water – maybe even hot enough to make the Under a sharp bet when you look at the Shohei Ohtani odds at the top rated sportsbooks.
Who Is Shohei Ohtani?
Before we get to our story, a little background on the main character. Ohtani is the two-time American League MVP in Major League Baseball, and arguably the best player since Babe Ruth – both quality pitchers as well as top sluggers, a precious rarity in this sport.
Ruth gave up pitching almost entirely when he was sold by the Boston Red Sox to the New York Yankees ahead of the 1920 season. Ohtani is also on the move; he signed as a free agent (for $700 million over 10 years, a record across all sports) with the Los Angeles Dodgers last December after seven seasons with the L.A. Angels, but will be limited to designated hitter duties this year because of a UCL tear he suffered last August.
Why Is Shohei Ohtani In Trouble?
Because of illegal gambling. On March 20, the Los Angeles Times reported that Ohtani’s name had come up in a federal investigation after large sums of money were allegedly transferred from Ohtani’s bank account to an underground “bookie.”
Not that anyone has accused Ohtani himself of illegal gambling. Rather, it’s his now-former Japanese interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, who apparently racked up some $4.5 million in gambling debts. Mizuhara told ESPN that he got Ohtani to wire a series of $500,000 payments to the bookie’s associate – and that’s where our story really gets interesting.
Two days after this account, a spokesperson for Ohtani told ESPN that Mizuhara was “lying” about the transfers. The next thing you know, the story had changed: Mizuhara was accused of stealing the money from Ohtani without his knowledge.
The Dodgers immediately fired Mizuhara, who then told ESPN that he had lied during his previous interview, and said the whole situation was his fault – although he was advised not to comment on whether he’d been accused of any crime.
Will Shohei Ohtani Be Suspended?
That remains to be seen. As we go to press, Major League Baseball is investigating the matter, and commissioner Rob Manfred hopes to wrap things up as quickly as possible.
Mizuhara says he didn’t bet on baseball, so if that holds up, Ohtani won’t face the same kind of lifetime ban as Pete Rose. However, sports betting has yet to be legalized in California, so if Ohtani did wire money to the bookmaker to pay off Mizuhara’s debts, that constitutes “working for” an illegal bookie, and could lead to a one-year suspension.
MLB has a precedent when it comes to a player illegally betting on sports in Jarred Cosart who received an undisclosed fine in 2015.@alannarizzo and @realFRG on how that could apply to Shohei Ohtani.
Dodgers Territory ▶️ https://t.co/yEJ6tWxYa7 pic.twitter.com/bKSIGb80aF
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) March 25, 2024
Judging by the National League MVP odds, it seems doubtful that Ohtani will be punished. Those odds are pretty much the same as they were heading into the 2024 season; depending on where you shop, you can find Ohtani at a range between +750 and +1000, which would put him somewhere around fifth on the MLB props list.
Since he’s not likely to pitch this year anyway, it’s far less likely Ohtani will be able to win his first National League MVP award, not when reigning MVP Ronald Acuna Jr (+450) is still hitting up a storm for Atlanta. But if you’re looking for a sharp bet, taking the Under on some of Ohtani’s MLB season props might be worth a flier.
That’s because Mizuhara is no longer by Ohtani’s side – at least not in public. Mizuhara wasn’t just an interpreter for Ohtani; he was more of a personal assistant, and even caught some of Ohtani’s bullpen sessions, as well as his appearance at the 2021 MLB Home Run Derby.
Baseball players are creatures of habit, so it’s reasonable to expect at least a slight dip in Ohtani’s numbers this year. That .638 OPS through the first five games represents a very small sample size, but is it a MacGuffin, or a sign of things to come? Bet accordingly.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have played over 2,600 games during the Statcast era. Shohei Ohtani has played in only 6 of those as a Dodger but already has the hardest-hit base hit of any Dodger during that time.
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) April 1, 2024
