It’s not an insult to one of the top players in this year’s draft to say he isn’t MLB’s unicorn

Welcome to Snyder’s Soapbox! Here, I pontificate about matters related to Major League Baseball weekly. Some topics will be pressing; some might seem insignificant. Regardless, it’s all about gaining insights.

I anticipated the comparisons between Travis Hunter, a standout in college football, and Shohei Ohtani, baseball’s two-way sensation. While Hunter was being praised for his exceptional skills, I knew someone would inevitably bring up Ohtani, which has indeed happened.
Browns general manager Andrew Berry mentioned last week, “I think it’s a little bit like Ohtani, right?”. But the truth is, the comparison is not valid.

Hunter is undoubtedly talented, but Ohtani represents a unique phenomenon in baseball. The only football position that remotely compares to a pitcher is a quarterback, and while football is an incredibly demanding sport, you cannot equate the two roles meaningfully. For Hunter to reach the same level of distinction as Ohtani, he would also need to excel at quarterbacking, which seems unlikely given his skills.

Ultimately, to say that indeed no one can match the benchmark of Ohtani in the near future is realistic. The sports world will continue to admire Hunter for his skills, but he shouldn’t be burdened with the expectations set by Ohtani’s extraordinary achievements.