Shohei Ohtani’s Elite Base-Stealing Skills Break Down

The keyword is all-out

He’s earning the title of “Mr. May.” Shohei Ohtani (30) of the Dodgers is showing no signs of slowing down.

“Normally, Ohtani tends to heat up in June, but this year, he’s already hit double-digit home runs just in May, and as of May 21, he’s leading the Major Leagues with 17 homers. If he picks up even more momentum from here, he’s bound to post some incredible numbers this season,” says sports writer Nachi Tomonari.

And it’s not just his hitting that’s on fire.

At this point last season — 40 games in — Ohtani had swiped 9 bases. This year, he’s already up to 10. If he keeps this pace, he could surpass last year’s total and even make a run at 60 stolen bases. Tetsuya Iida, a former Yakult player and past stolen base king, weighed in:

“Before he’s expected to resume pitching duties late in the season, I think Ohtani wants to contribute to the team on the basepaths as well. Plus, his running speed has clearly improved compared to last year. He’s always been quick, but now his sprint speed has gone up a notch, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see his stolen base numbers keep climbing.”

During February’s spring training camp, Ohtani put in extensive running drills using state-of-the-art equipment that measures speed and acceleration by attaching a wire to his waist. He repeatedly fine-tuned his form through constant sprints, and those efforts are now paying off in his stolen base totals.

And it’s not just speed — his base-stealing technique has evolved dramatically too. The keyword is all-out.

Iida continues:

“The most crucial element of a steal is having the courage to take off. You can really sense Ohtani’s confidence this season from the fact that he managed 59 steals last year. He commits to that first step without hesitation, maintains top speed with his powerful stride, and executes high-speed slides that don’t kill his momentum as he takes the base.

On top of that, Ohtani has an exceptionally high baseball IQ. He’s likely absorbing all kinds of information — like pitchers’ tendencies and pitch sequences — to improve his stolen base success rate. The more data like that accumulates, the more effective it becomes, so there’s still plenty of room for him to grow. At this pace, he has the potential to match last year’s stolen base total by August, when he’s expected to return to the mound. A second straight 50-50 season, or even a mind-blowing 60-60, might not be out of the question.”

Ohtani has mastered a level of extreme finesse when it comes to base stealing too. The question is, can he maintain this momentum and sprint full-speed toward his two-way comeback?

From “FRIDAY”, combined issue June 6-13, 2025.