Shohei Ohtani (大谷 翔平, born July 5, 1994) is a Japanese professional baseball pitcher and designated hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Nicknamed "Shotime", he has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Angels and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. Because of his elite contributions as a hitter and as a pitcher, a rarity as a two-way player, Ohtani's prime seasons have been considered among the greatest in baseball history, with some comparing them favorably to the early career of Babe Ruth.