Star player Shohei Ohtani isn’t just racking up success on the field, as this year he’s expected to set a new mark for a major league baseball athlete with an estimated $65 million.
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The specialist magazine Forbes on Tuesday released a ranking of the Manfred Tour players who will earn the most money, salary and sponsorship deals combined. Moreover, the one who led Japan to great honors at the recent World Classic will get his hands on $35 million in advertising alone. The Los Angeles Angels pitcher and outfielder has deals with 13 companies, including Boss, Seiko Watch and Kowa in Japan, as well as Topps and Fanatics in the United States.
The 2021 American League MVP, Ohtani signed a one-year, $30 million contract extension in October to avoid salary arbitration.
“Annually, Shohei’s commercial impact within the Japanese market will be synonymous with tens of millions of dollars, since he is a cultural icon at home, first, and a baseball player later, explained to the same source. Chris Davis, the chief marketing officer for New Balance, another company linked to the Japanese athlete. He will likely be the first and only baseball player of his generation with the ability to achieve this level of commercial impact for a brand.”
Others
The top 5 of the list of Forbes is completed by Max Scherzer (Mets, $59.3 million), Aaron Judge (Yankees, $44.5 million), Justin Verlander (Mets, $44.3 million) and Mike Trout (Angels, $39.5 million) ; however, most of their income, unlike the leader, will come from compensation offered by their respective organization. Also, the top five order is comprised solely of men pursuing their careers in the New York or Los Angeles markets.
Places 6 to 10 are occupied by Anthony Rendon (Angels, $38.2 million), Gerrit Cole (Yankees, $36.5 million), Carlos Correa (Minnesota Twins, $37 million), Corey Seager (Texas Rangers , $36 million) and Nolan Arenado (St. Louis Cardinals, $35.2 million). The amounts collected do not take into account costs incurred such as the payment of agents, nor performance bonuses that may be paid during the year.