Los Angeles Angels stars Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani are quite likely two of the five best players in baseball.
Trout is the most accomplished hitter of our generation, with three MVP awards and lots of other accolades, while Ohtani is the most uniquely talented player in the history of the game.
But Los Angeles Dodgers star Clayton Kershaw is the best pitcher of his time, too, and remains very much elite even at 35 years old.
Both Ohtani and Trout got a taste of Kershaw’s wicked stuff in spring training play over the weekend.
We see you, Kersh. 👀 pic.twitter.com/weuE4ekteP
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) March 27, 2023
First, he got Trout swinging on one of his trademark Cooperstown curveballs, low in the zone.
Poor Trout didn’t stand a chance.
Then, he fooled Ohtani with a slider up in the zone, at 86 mph.
Ohtani didn’t see it coming.
Kershaw is great because all of his pitches are excellent, but he is elite because of his command.
He can place the ball wherever he wants, and takes full advantage of all four quadrants of the strike zone.
He knows hitters’ strengths and weaknesses, and he is more than equipped to exploit the latter.
Injuries have become a theme in recent seasons, but performance has never been in question.
Last year, he had a brilliant 2.28 ERA in 126.1 frames with the Dodgers.
That’s actually better than his 2.48 career ERA; which is already among the best in history.
Kershaw looks just about ready for the start of the season, and the Dodgers actually need him to stay healthy because their pitching depth is not as strong as recent years.
If he stays in one piece, LA should be in good shape.
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