Radio host rips idea of Shohei Ohtani being greatest MLB player ever

Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani is doing things we have never seen a player do on a baseball diamond, and that sort of talent is starting to get him mentioned as one of the greatest players of all time—if not the greatest player of all time. 

There is a compelling argument for it, just try not to make it in the presence of long-time radio screamer Mike Francessa, because he has no time for your "silly" argument.

“Not even a little bit do I agree with that,” said Francessa on his most recent podcast.   

“I don’t think he’s done anywhere near enough to be called that. I think that is ridiculous. I’m sorry," continued Francessa. "You know what? Check out what Babe Ruth did before you’re going to tell me what Ohtani did. Go look at Babe Ruth’s pitching statistics in the regular season, in the World Series, career wise. And then look at his offense, and then tell me how you would possibly think that Ohtani was better than Babe Ruth? It doesn’t make any sense. People say a lot of silly things. That’s a silly thing.”

Ruth is usually the standard answer when people talk about the greatest player of all-time because of what a dominant presence he was during his time. He literally hit more home runs than entire teams in some years, and he was a very good pitcher along with being one of the most dominant power-hitting forces in the history of the game. He was a giant. 

But it is impossible to compare players across generations. Ruth played in an eight-team American League that was not integrated and had zero international players. The level of competition was not as good as it could—and should—have been. Players today are also bigger, faster, stronger, and make the game their entire lives. The equipment and training they have today is not even comparable. A player like Ruth would almost certainly excel in any era, but probably not to the same degree.

Ruth also only played one full season as a pitcher and hitter, and he was not quite as dominant on both ends as Ohtani has been.

That is where the argument for Ohtani comes into play. Obviously he does not have the longevity or overall career numbers to stack up with the game's legends, but he is literally doing things on a baseball field that nobody has ever done at the highest level. 

There are games where he hits the hardest ball, throws the fastest pitch, and has the fastest speed on the base paths. He is one of the top-five left-handed power hitters in the league, while also being a top-five starting pitcher. He is two superstars in one player, and is perhaps going to be the first $500 million player this offseason. 

Is he the best ever? That's certainly up for debate depending on how much you weigh in longevity and raw numbers. But in terms of dominating every aspect of the game simultaneously, literally nobody else has ever done it to the level that Ohtani has.