His Slumping Batting Average Was in Top Form in June… A Comparison of His Batting Form Makes It Clear! The Reason Shohei Ohtani’s “Balls Weren’t Flying Forward”

300 Home Runs in the Blink of an Eye

Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani (32) has regained his form at the plate. His batting average, which had temporarily dropped to the .230s, has climbed back to nearly .300. In June, he was in top form, posting a .333 monthly batting average.

When Ohtani hit his 20th home run of the season—his 300th in the majors—against the Rockies on July 8 (Japan time), Manager Roberts praised him highly, saying:

“He reached 300 home runs in the blink of an eye. He’s still young and physically strong. Reaching 500 home runs is definitely within his reach.”

Takashi Kawamura, a motion analysis expert and professor in the School of Physical Education at the University of Tsukuba, explains:

“His body rotation has improved significantly and is now well-controlled. Up until May, his body rotation often caused even well-hit balls to go foul.”

Let’s compare his batting form from his 2023 season with the Angels (bottom), when he recorded a .304 batting average and 44 home runs, with his form this season (top, photographed in May) to identify Ohtani’s challenges and strengths. Below is Professor Kawamura’s analysis.

“First, look at point ①. Compared to the bottom image, the stance in the top image is wider. While this stabilizes the upper body and is ideal for selecting pitches, it makes it difficult to move the body quickly. The narrower stance in the bottom image likely allows for a faster start to the swing.”

In ②, focus on the left shoulder and the bat.

“From the third-base side, the left shoulder appears larger in the high stance than in the low stance. This is because the hips and shoulders rotate almost simultaneously, resulting in less power build-up. You can also see that the bat is slightly away from the body and taking a longer path. In the low stance, the hips rotate first, followed by the shoulders, creating power build-up. The bat is also positioned closer to the body.”

Improved Body Opening

Point ③ is the belt buckle.

“In the top image, the buckle is positioned slightly closer to the pitcher than in the bottom image. This is because the body rotates faster. With this form, even if the ball hits the sweet spot of the bat, it often doesn’t fly forward and results in a foul ball. On the other hand, in both images, both arms are skillfully folded, forming a pentagonal shape.This is evidence that he’s making contact with the ball close to his body.”

I want to see the finish from ④ to ⑤.

“In both the high and low stances, both arms are fully extended, creating a dynamic swing that sends the ball flying far. What’s concerning is that the toes of his right foot are lifting off the ground in the high stance. This suggests that, perhaps due to his body opening up too early, he isn’t fully shifting his weight and bracing himself.”

As mentioned at the beginning, the issue of his body opening too early has been corrected. How will his batting performance shape up this season?

“I think he’ll be able to maintain a batting average around .300. However, due to his slump through May, he’ll likely hit 30 to 40 home runs. Since he hit over 50 home runs for two consecutive seasons up until last year, that might feel a bit underwhelming. But considering his full return as a two-way player and his outstanding performance as a pitcher, those numbers are still out of this world.”

Ohtani is back on track. We can expect him to continue stunning fans with his performances in the second half of the season.

From the July 31, 2026 issue of *FRIDAY*