When one thinks of the all-time greats in sports, some names that come to mind right away are Michael Jordan (NBA), Tom Brady (NFL). And now in regards to baseball, former two-sport pro athlete, Deion Sanders, is ready to put a new name up there in that category.
In particular, 30-year-old Japanese baseball superstar, Shohei Ohtani, is who the Colorado football coach thinks is already deserving of having the same 'greatest-of-all-time' status as Jordan and Brady.
"Ohtani is incredible ... You can compare him to the Jordans and Tom Bradys of the world."
Coach Prime has high praise for Shohei Ohtani 👏 pic.twitter.com/3nNyPTjEcS
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) September 24, 2024
"Ohtani, he's incredible, man," Coach Prime said Tuesday. "You can compare him to the Jordans and the Tom Bradys of the world. That's who he is. He's doing things that we haven't fathomed."
Last week Shohei became the first player in MLB history to become a member of the 50 home runs/50 stolen bases club. And he did it in dramatic fashion, as he had one of the best games of all-time (6-for-6, two doubles, three home runs, two stolen bases, four runs, and 10 RBI's) vs. the Miami Marlins (20-4 win).
So far in seven MLB seasons, Ohtani has 224 home runs, 556 runs, 560 RBI's, and 141 stolen bases, with a career .280 batting average and .942 OPS.
Important to realize, what makes Deion and others put Ohtani in the GOAT conversation is that he also is one of the best pitchers in baseball. To note, on the mound he has a career record of 38 wins and 19 losses, to go with a 3.01 ERA and 1.08 WHIP.
What some critics may point out is that the former LA Angeles star has never won a World Series, not even making a playoff appearance until this year.
In view of Jordan's and Brady's career accomplishments, it will be hard for any player to match their accolades, as MJ was a six-time champion, 10-time scoring leader (30.1 ppg career average, highest in NBA history), while Brady was a seven-time Super Bowl winner and is the NFL's all-time passing leader (89,214 yards; 649 TD's).
All in all, if anyone is credible enough to make this claim, it would be Deion 'PrimeTime" Sanders, who is regarded as one of the best all-around athletes ever in his own right, as he had a Hall of Fame football career, while also playing nine seasons in the MLB.
