TEMPE, Ariz. — It took only a few days with his new club for Angels pitcher Noah Syndergaard to grasp the eminence of Shohei Ohtani, the two-way phenom who was a unanimous choice for American League most valuable player last season.
"Man, the aura around him … " Syndergaard said during the first week of spring training. "You can definitely tell that there's a greatness to his presence."
Syndergaard saw the highlights from 2021 and marveled at Ohtani's freakish ability to throw a baseball 100 mph and hit one 450 feet. He was in awe of the numbers Ohtani posted in what was arguably the greatest all-around season in baseball history.