Report: Ohtani gave $150K HR Derby prize to Angels staffers as thank-you

After giving fans plenty to cheer about during All-Star week, Shohei Ohtani made sure to reward his Los Angeles Angels family for helping him get there.

The two-way superstar donated his $150,000 prize for participating in the Home Run Derby to Angels staff members as a thank-you for their work during the season, according to the Orange County Register's Jeff Fletcher. Trainers, clubhouse employees, and members of the team's media relations department received the gifts on Friday.

Ohtani quietly devised this plan after being selected to the derby and would have done the same even if he won the $1-million grand prize, sources told Fletcher.

The 27-year-old broke out as both a superstar and the face of baseball during his unprecedented first half with Los Angeles, hitting .279/.364/.698 with a major-league-leading 33 home runs, 70 RBIs, and 12 stolen bases. As a pitcher, he owns a 3.49 ERA and 1.21 WHIP with 87 strikeouts in 13 starts.

Ohtani was the talk of the Derby, despite losing to Juan Soto in an epic first-round duel that ended in a three-swing tiebreaker. The Japanese native made history the next night, starting the All-Star Game as both the designated hitter and starting pitcher for the American League.