Warriors' Brandin Podziemski Says He Could've Been Like Shohei Ohtani in MLB
Golden State Warriors guard Brandin Podziemski believes that he could've been a two-way MLB player like Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani if he pursued a baseball career.
"I think I could be the white Shohei (Ohtani)," Podziemski told Nick Friedell of The Athletic. "I think I could do both. Maybe not to the degree he can do it, but I think I could for sure do both. Pitch, play the field, hit, all those things."
Podziemski played baseball in high school before playing basketball at Illinois and Santa Clara in college.
He was utilized in multiple positions during his baseball career, hitting .469 while recording two triples and 10 RBI at St. John's Northwestern Military Academy (h/t Friedell).
Podziemski was also a left-handed pitcher, owning a 2-3 record in five games while posting a 4.32 ERA (via Joseph Dycus of The Mercury News). He racked up 40 strikeouts in 22.2 innings of work.
While Podziemski's confidence is admirable, it's hard to imagine him making a legitimate two-way impact at the MLB level.
Ohtani's status as a three-time MVP is due to his unprecedented success in his two-way role, which he continued to showcase during his 2025 campaign with the Dodgers.
He hit .282 with a 1.014 OPS across 158 regular-season appearances, amassing 55 home runs and 25 doubles to go along with 102 RBI.
Ohtani also made his pitching return in 2025 after he was forced to remain a hitter throughout the 2024 season due to elbow surgery that he underwent in 2023. He only threw 47 innings across his 14 starts, but still compiled a 2.87 ERA while averaging 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings.
