What is the best batting order position for Shohei Ohtani in the Baseball Classic? A detailed tactical analysis by a former Nippon Professional Baseball player

With only 45 days left until the start of the WBC World Baseball Classic, Japan’s TV program "Going! Sports & News" conducted a special analysis on the strength of the Samurai Japan national team. Former NPB pitcher Ryota Igarashi and 2013 Classic participant Kazuo Matsui, serving as commentators, discussed Ohtani Shohei’s batting role and lineup placement, emphasizing that the hitters following him will be crucial.

In the last Classic, Japan’s team averaged 8 runs per game, with their batting lineup’s firepower being the key to their championship. Kazuo Matsui explained, “If Ohtani bats first, then the second batter becomes a critical role — the hitter right behind him.” Using championship hero Shugo Maki as an example, he said, “If Maki bats second, it creates a strong threat. As a right-handed batter, he can clearly observe Ohtani on first base and is capable of advancing runners towards right field while also effectively wearing down the pitcher’s pitch count.”

Ryota Igarashi predicted that Ohtani would continue his previous role as the third batter: “Personally, I don’t think he will bat first. Rather than leading off, it’s better to have runners on base before he comes up, so placing him around the third spot is ideal.” He further analyzed that if Ohtani bats third, the first two hitters need to combine a high on-base percentage with power hitting. He specifically named Ohtani’s former Fighters teammate, Kensuke Kondo from SoftBank, a four-time Pacific League on-base percentage leader, as the ideal candidate.

Igarashi emphasized that as long as Shohei Ohtani and his teammates can score early in the first inning, they can seize momentum. He humorously added at the end, “Of course, if Ohtani himself says, ‘I want to bat first,’ then he will definitely bat first.”