Pujols on scouts who doubted Ohtani: 'What are those geniuses saying now?'

During Shohei Ohtani's struggles early in spring training, a number of anonymous scouts questioned the two-way phenom's ability both at the plate and on the mound.

One scout said he was basically a high-school hitter, while others suggested he start in the minors because "you don't learn on the job in the major leagues."

Well, things have certainly changed since the regular season started and the games began to matter, as Ohtani has been one of the best players in the majors in each role, proving the early impressions couldn't have been more wrong.

"(There are) a lot of geniuses out there," Albert Pujols told Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY Sports. "Spring training is spring training. It doesn't matter if you hit .500 or win 10 games. They don't hand out hardware for a Cy Young, MVP, or a batting title for your spring training stats. Spring training is about getting yourself ready and healthy and getting your timing down. That’s it.

"It was all part of him getting acclimated. It's not easy. First time in this country. He doesn’t speak English. Pitching in Arizona. Getting used to the different baseballs. The mound. All of that stuff.

"What are those geniuses saying now?"

Ohtani has already claimed the first American League Player of the Week award and heads into his third start of the season Sunday with a 2.08 ERA, 0.46 WHIP, and 18 strikeouts in 13 innings. As impressive as he's been pitching, he's arguably been better hitting, slashing .367/.424/.767 with three home runs in eight games.

"(I) just got better," Ohtani said of what changed. "Grew as a player."