Shohei Otani turned heads with his bat during the first portion of the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters' spring camp in Peoria, Arizona. While Otani's pitching is what scouts turn up to see, he's pretty good with a bat and is a capable right fielder to boot.
Otani is probably considered to be the best hitter among Japanese pitchers, though he rarely does both in the same game. Otani has a career average of .245 with 36 doubles, a pair of triples and 18 home runs.
There aren't really any other pitchers in Japan with Otani's skills at the plate, certainly none with his power, but there are a few who are more than just automatic outs.
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