The Los Angeles Dodgers may be getting a new version of Shohei Ohtani following a brief stint on the paternity list. Ohtani missed two games over the weekend to attend the birth of his first child, and the team is now expecting to see Ohtani with “dad strength” for the first time. While the reigning MVP failed to get a hit in his first game back on Sunday, it’s fair to expect that the best is yet to come.
Shohei Ohtani and His Incoming “Dad Strength”
The Los Angeles Times wrote an article on Ohtani and the boost he will get from “dad strength.” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, “Now that he is a father, we might see some 120[mph] exit velos off the bat.”
Mookie Betts added, “I’m sure if there is someone that is gonna have it, it’s Shohei.”
Shohei Ohtani announces the birth of his first child, a daughter: "I'm truly grateful to my beloved wife for giving birth to a healthy and beautiful daughter." He did not reveal the baby's name, but was on the "father's list" to be present at the birth with his wife Mamiko.…
— デイリースポーツ (@Daily_Online) April 21, 2025
Ohtani is regularly among the league leaders in exit velocity. According to Statcast, he enters the new week with an average exit velocity of 95.9 mph, and his max exit velocity is 113.1. Those numbers are better than 98 percent and 93 percent, respectively, of the rest of MLB. They are also big reasons why Ohtani is consistently at the top of the home run leaderboard.
Across history, we have seen players use “dad strength” to the best of their ability. Mike Trout once hit six home runs in his first eight games after becoming a father back in 2020. It will be interesting to see what Ohtani does over the coming weeks that can be attributed to being a father.
Roberts, being a former player, understands how fatherhood can transform a player. He said, “Some of the attributes you get from being a dad do translate to the baseball field. “Not sweating the small stuff. Understanding what’s most important. I have seen our players evolve in how they look at life and baseball.”
Ohtani is already widely considered the best player in the sport, and he is expected to return to the mound in the coming months. It will be interesting to see what he can do as a two-way player again.
The National Leage West is a Problem
Coming into the season, most people considered the Dodgers the heavy favorites to win the NL West and even repeat as World Series Champions. But, with the way the season has started, that is no longer the case. The NL West is home to four of the five best records in the National League, with the Dodgers, Padres, Giants, and Diamondbacks all off to hot starts.
The division title is no longer a gimme for the Dodgers as they will have their work cut out for them this year.