Dodgers To Place Shohei Ohtani On 15-Day IL
A former professional baseball player explains the extreme physical and time-intensive demands required to play at a professional level. The author notes that dual-position players like Shohei Ohtani are rare exceptions due to the specialized muscle memory required for different roles.
Why it matters
It provides expert context on the physical toll and specialization required in professional sports, explaining why Ohtani's dual-role performance is historically unique.
ADF, to be a professional player you have to dedicate an extremely large amount of time to developing and honing the skills and muscle memory required for the position that you play over many years.
How much time? The very best 12-14 year old kids in my academy, pre-high school age, spend 4 or more hours per day focusing on the skills for a single position and for hitting.
That does not mean that they do not play different positions for their travel ball teams and some pitch while focusing on playing a single position. Typically the 2-way players in our academy are shortstops or outfielders on their travel ball teams that can also pitch or vice versa.
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