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5 takeaways from Ohtani's early spring action

Christian Petersen / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Major League Baseball fans have now had their first taste of Shohei Ohtani both on the mound and at the dish. With the dust settling, it's time to reflect on the pair of debuts by the newest Los Angeles Angels star.

Here are five takeaways from Ohtani's first four outs on the mound, and first six trips to the plate:

Plate discipline

While Ohtani came advertised predominantly as a pitcher who could hit on off days with appropriate rest, the 23-year-old phenom looked more than comfortable at the plate.

Quickly falling behind 0-2 to San Diego Padres starter Jordan Lyles on a taken first strike and swinging second strike, Ohtani proceeded to watch the next four pitches - including two very close offerings - to work a walk in his first plate appearance as a member of the Angels.

Over the next two trips to the plate that game, Ohtani worked another walk before hitting a single for his first ball in play.

His 1.000 OBP only lasted one day, though, as Ohtani was struck out looking by Jon Gray in his first at-bat Tuesday against the Colorado Rockies. In fact, Ohtani kept the bat on his shoulder for all five pitches he saw. While his patience may have gone too far in the at-bat, it appeared Gray was also working with a pitcher-friendly strike zone, receiving beneficial calls on two borderline offerings at the bottom of the zone.

Ohtani grounded out in Tuesday's action with a fly out and fielder's choice before getting pinch run for in the sixth inning.

Secondary stuff

Another surprise is the fact Ohtani's fastball - routinely scouted as a plus pitch and his best offering - wasn't the pitch that stole the show; it was his curveball.

Look at this hook:

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Brett Phillips never stood a chance, and he knew it:

Poise

Despite getting rattled around during his pitching debut, Ohtani looked unflappable. In fact, he came into the game tempering expectations and knew spring training was more about working on things.

At no point did Ohtani seem to lose his composure or focus. All things considered, that's a pretty remarkable feat. He's 23 years old, acclimating to a foreign culture, and is heralded as the top prospect in the sport while giving up line drive home runs to Keon Broxton. That's not a particularly welcoming environment.

Quick turnaround

Over the course of four days, Ohtani appeared in three games while pitching and hitting, needing one day off between his transition from the mound to designated hitter.

Considering the Angels have played five games this spring, Ohtani getting work in three of them is pretty interesting. That workload will almost certainly taper off as Opening Day nears, but it's been an early spring storyline to follow.

No baserunning tests

The one tool we haven't seen Ohtani use is his baserunning. While it isn't one of his headline gifts, scouts timed his home-to-first at 3.8 seconds - that's as fast as Billy Hamilton and Dee Gordon.

While Ohtani has reached base often enough, we haven't seen him test a catcher's arm or a pitcher's pickoff move. While the Angels may be cautious to give Ohtani the green light in spring with him primarily tabbed as a pitcher, it's something for fans to look for as Ohtani's spring action continues.

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