Former Yankees and Padres legend Dave Winfield made an eye-opening comparison between himself and Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani.
The 71-year-old boldly stated that he could have been a two-way star during his major league playing career, indicating he could have been doing “back then” what Ohtani is doing today.
In a recent interview with Kirk Kenney of The San Diego Union-Tribune, Winfield said, “Shohei Ohtani is doing today what I was doing back then. The teams didn’t have the foresight or the vision or the inspiration then.”
Winfield was drafted by the Padres in 1973. At the time, he was a heralded two-way star, having developed into an accomplished pitcher at the University of Minnesota, as well as a solid outfielder. In three varsity seasons for the Golden Gophers, Winfield compiled a 17-4 pitching record with a 2.17 ERA and 199 strikeouts in 149 innings. He was a first-team All-America selection as a senior.
When Winfield first arrived in San Diego after skipping the minor leagues entirely, he told The San Diego Union that he could play both in the field and on the mound. However, the team wanted him to be an everyday player.
Winfield went on to enjoy a Hall of Fame career loaded with accolades, including 12 All-Star appearances, six Silver Slugger awards, seven Gold Gloves, and a World Series title over 22 seasons with the Padres, Yankees, Twins, Angels, Cleveland and the Blue Jays.
Winfield never made a single pitching appearance across the 2,973 games he played in MLB, although he still believes he could have been as much of a game-changer as Ohtani if he got his chance to become a two-way star.
