Travis Sawchik

"Some pitchers will put all that they have on each ball. This is foolish for two reasons.

Shohei Ohtani is hardly the first athlete, celebrity, or otherwise wealthy person to be swindled by someone they trusted.A few years ago, former MLB pitcher Jake Peavy had $15 million stolen by his financial advisor, Ash Narayan, who was diverting funds from athletes' retirement accounts he managed into a personal business venture. Narayan was sentenced to three years in prison.In 2009, a number of big leaguers unwittingly invested in a Ponzi scheme orchestrated by financier Robert Allen Stanford, who's serving a 110-year prison sentence for the $7-billion fraud. Former Yankees outfielder Johnny Damon was among those ensnared, his assets temporarily frozen."I can't pay bills right now," Damon said at the time. The depth of the fraud, the details of how it was accomplished, and the mistakes along the way are often shocking. Ohtani's story is no exception.According to the affidavit prepared by the IRS that was filed to the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles as part of the criminal complaint against Ohtani's longtime interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, Mizuhara made $180 million in wagers over a three-year period through an illegal bookmaker, accumulating $40 million in losses. He paid off $16 million of that debt from one of Ohtani's bank accounts, which he regularly accessed.Ohtani said he had no involvement and no knowledge of Mizuhara's actions. Christian Petersen / Getty ImagesMizuhara was charged with bank fraud and released on $25,000 bond last week, and is said to be negotiating a plea deal. MLB expects to quickly clear Ohtani of any wrongdoing once the federal investigation is completed, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.It's an ugly story, but could it have been avoided?What can athletes - or anyone with significant savings or investments - do to avoid a similar situation? Oakland A's pitcher Ross Stripling is someone with unusual insight into the life of professional athletes and the wealth management profession.Stripling picks his own stocks and manages money for others as an advisor - including three major-league players. His first bit of advice when it comes to putting up guardrails: Self-education."We're so focused on baseball," Stripling said of players. "Our job, it's 190 days straight - plus spring training - of just grinding. And a lot of times with that kind of stuff, you put it to the wayside until the season is over, or maybe even until your career is over."I understand baseball is your priority, but what I would say is find time to educate yourself on it. One thing that was awesome that came out of COVID was it was like a stock-market renaissance, and, yeah, in some cases to a detriment - as far as some people doing crazy stuff with crypto and penny stocks. But a lot of people got Robinhood accounts, and kind of learned about the market, and what it entails, and how to follow it, and know where their money is. (Self-education) would be my biggest piece of advice." Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesAccording to the affidavit, Mizuhara paid his gambling debts from the bank account where Ohtani's baseball pay from the Angels was deposited. Mizuhara was with Ohtani at a branch of the bank in 2018 when the account was created.From the affidavit:Between November 2021 and January 2024, more than $16,000,000 was transferred via wire from a checking account belonging to Victim A, a professional baseball player, with an account number ending x5848 (the "x5848 Account"), held at a domestic financial institution ("Bank A"). These funds were transferred to bank accounts of associates of an operator of an illegal sports book ("BOOKMAKER 1").After accounting for taxes and agent fees, Othani likely totaled around $20 million in net income from the Angels. If Mizuhara made unauthorized withdrawals of $16 million, he would have drained nearly the entire account.While Ohtani's earned tens of millions more in endorsement deals housed in other accounts managed by his agency, CAA, losing most of his on-field pay isn't a trivial amount of cash.What's perhaps surprising is Ohtani never checked his bank account - at least electronically - according to the affidavit. The account sat unchecked for three years after it was opened.Approximately one month after MIZUHARA was granted access to BOOKMAKER 1's gambling website, on October 27, 2021 (the same day BOOKMAKER 2 messaged MIZUHARA that BOOKMAKER 1 wanted to settle MIZUHARA’s losses … the x5848 Account was accessed through the internet for the first time since 2018. Approximately two weeks later, between November 9-15, 2021, the x5848 Account was repeatedly accessed through the internet.Lesson No. 2: Check your accounts."Have the ability to log in once a week, or a couple times a month," Stripling said. "Every platform has an activity statement or (a transaction log). You click on that and it shows you the last month: the money coming in, the money going out, what (a financial advisor) bought, what he sold."I think you just have to take the time to log in and track it and educate yourself. Where your money is, what it's doing, why it's there."Is it common for an athlete to never check an account, especially one where income's deposited?"It might be normal for (NPB and KBO) guys," Stripling said. "I played with (Hyun Jin) Ryu, and I played with (Kenta) Maeda. I don't know their banking habits, but I know their translators have access to everything, and can go pull money for them. They can sign for them on certain things. They get power of attorney for all sorts of things, I believe. That isn't super surprising that (Mizuhara) had that much power."As for the American guys, not looking at our Bank of America and Wells Fargo accounts? I don't think so. For instance, we just got paid a couple days ago. Everyone here is all happy. It's the first payday. Everyone knew exactly how much their pay stub was, I promise you. Guys are accessing their stuff." Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesWhat's also clear: Not enough questions were asked of - or answers received from - Mizuhara.According to the affidavit, Mizuhara managed to circumvent Ohtani, bank officials, and financial advisors employed by Ohtani's agency.While Ohtani's teammate Tyler Glasnow said recently on a podcast that Dodgers players "all knew early on that Ippei was doing some shady stuff," there appeared to be little pushback from CAA or Nez Balelo, Ohtani's agent, in questioning Mizuhara's excuses.In one episode detailed in the affidavit, Ohtani was scheduled to have a meeting in October 2022 with an accountant hired by Balelo to prepare Ohtani's taxes. Only Mizuhara showed up for the meeting, claiming Ohtani was ill. The accountant, identified as K.F., questioned Mizuhara about the bank account:K.F. asked MIZUHARA about the x5848 Account, and stated that Victim A risked filing incorrect tax returns if there was interest being generated by any funds in the x5848 Account or any gifts from that account which triggered tax reporting requirements. MIZUHARA responded that Victim A wanted the x5848 Account kept private from everyone, and that the x5848 Account did not bear interest and that there were no gifts from the x5848 Account.The agency also didn't have its own interpreter to communicate with Ohtani, relying on Mizuhara. It was another way the reliance on Mizuhara created a single point of failure."Ask questions," Stripling said of advisors. "'Hey Joe - or whatever the name of your money manager is - why did you buy me 10 shares of Apple today?' It's your money, know where it is. Know how to keep it safe."Ohtani trusted Mizuhara blindly. Peavy trusted his financial advisor. Damon trusted Stanford.How does an athlete or anyone with wealth know who to trust?"I would pick teammates' brains on who they use," Stripling said. "Who is one of your best buddies on the team? Who does he use? And I'd try to talk to at least one more. Same way if you're getting a quote on a plumber. Try multiple guys. See which one gives you the best sales pitch, or which one you feel most comfortable with and make a decision from there. But I would certainly say it's vital to get one." Sean M. Haffey / Getty ImagesWe don't know exactly how Mizuhara's fraud case will end. The statements outlined in the affidavit haven't been tested in court, nor has Mizuhara pleaded guilty to this set of facts. Will the plea deal be finalized? Will more facts emerge? The final paragraph of the affidavit is quite the kicker:On or about March 20, 2024, MIZUHARA messaged BOOKMAKER 1 stating, "Have you seen the reports?" BOOKMAKER 1 responded, "Yes, but that's all bullshit. Obviously you didn't steal from him. I understand it's a cover job I totally get it." MIZUHARA then responded to BOOKMAKER 1, "Technically I did steal from him. It's all over for me."Based on what's been released so far, Ohtani lost millions of dollars to someone he trusted - as others have before. But it all could have been avoided if some simple safeguards were in place and more questions asked.Travis Sawchik is theScore's senior baseball writer.

Starting Lineup is a biweekly collection of reporting, observations, and insights from the baseball beat, published every other week during the regular season.Leading off ... Mason Miller's rise to become the hardest-throwing pitcher in the majors and one of the more dominant closers in the game is a remarkable early-season story.In moving to a bullpen role - at least temporarily - to better preserve his arm, Miller's fastball is averaging 100.7 mph this year. He's hit 104 mph. Those are the best marks in the majors.He's already recorded six saves and made MLB hitters look overmatched, striking out 23 in 11 1/3 innings. The righty has a 1.59 ERA and is one of the few bright spots for the Oakland A's.But no one had heard of Miller just a few years ago. Few players in recent memory have ascended quite like him.Miller was a sophomore at Division III Waynesburg (Pa.) College in 2018, posting a 7.16 ERA at a level of NCAA baseball where scholarships aren't even offered. During that season, he wondered why he was so tired and losing weight. A urine sample required for a finance internship with Allegheny Health Network revealed an alarmingly high blood sugar level.He was diagnosed with Type I diabetes. Nic Antaya / Getty Images"I think there was some unknown, and that's always a little scary," Miller said. "It's pretty manageable as far as diagnoses go. I am in exclusive and full control over what I eat and how it affects my sugar. I'm fortunate to have great tech that monitors it, and it makes it pretty easy. The adjustment was fairly seamless."I'm blessed that it happened when I was older as opposed to kids at, say, age 10, and that's really hard for them when they are not in a position to take care of themselves. Their parents have to."The diagnosis changed everything for the suburban Pittsburgh native.Miller began giving himself daily insulin injections. He regularly monitors his blood sugar using an app on his phone, which updates every five minutes and connects to a monitoring device on his left arm.He also changed his diet. As a junior, Miller quickly added 35 pounds, advancing from 150 pounds to 185. He now stands at 6-foot-5, 235 pounds. With his added weight came added velocity."The first time I had anything clocked above 90, the other team had a radar gun - we didn't have one," Miller said. "We had guys up there in the press box who did the scoreboard and charted pitches. My buddy was up there doing the board and (saw the radar gun readings)."His teammate rushed down between innings to relay an urgent message to Miller: He'd been clocked at 94 mph.Miller dropped his ERA to 1.86 that season. COVID essentially wiped out his senior campaign, but he was given an extra year of eligibility in 2021 and transferred to Gardner-Webb, a small Division I school. Miller began raising eyebrows on the fringe of the scouting trail, and the A's drafted him in the third round.His velocity kept climbing."After I got drafted, I hit 100 (mph). That was pretty cool," Miller said. 101 with that movement?! 😳Mason Miller is unfair 🔥 pic.twitter/xv8PWef67z— MLB (@MLB) April 26, 2024 Injuries limited him in 2022, but he dominated in Triple-A early last season by striking out 23 in 12 innings and was called up to Oakland in April. Miller was off to a promising start before an elbow strain sidelined him.!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;rHe said he's "cleaned up" his mechanics since joining the A's, which might explain some of his MLB-best velocity. Miller's college studies in finance - he has a master's degree in business administration - have helped him navigate the data avalanche in pro baseball. He also tries to emulate the characteristics of pitchers such as Gerrit Cole and enjoys watching the condensed starts of pitchers he admires."I think (Cole) is really good at being linear down the mound. There's not a lot of unnecessary movement," Miller said. "I think the less you have to think about, the less you are doing, the easier it is to repeat it."While he's focused on details of improving performance, Miller said he wouldn't be here without that diabetes diagnosis as a sophomore.Whether he remains a closer long term is yet to be determined. What's clear is that Miller has arrived as an impact arm."I enjoy this role. We are doing it for health reasons," Miller said. "We are just focusing on this year, and we'll see how the chips fall after it."No. 2: Max Scherzer's umpire planWhile it's not an easy job to determine whether a darting 90-mph slider or 99-mph fastball grazed the corner of the strike zone, umpire performance could be better. In some cases, a lot better.What's there to do about it? Technology can certainly determine balls and strikes with 100% accuracy given the correct strike-zone parameters. MLB is experimenting with automated zones and challenge systems in the minors.But even if one doesn't want a robot ump behind the plate, there are ways to improve the human element. We know MLB doesn't always place its best performers behind the plate and that calling balls and strikes is a skill that doesn't age well. Richard Lautens / Getty ImagesTexas Rangers pitcher Max Scherzer shared an interesting idea after a rehab start this week.Scherzer doesn't want to eliminate human umpires - or he's at least being savvy while still an active pitcher - but he does want the standard raised."We need to rank the umpires," Scherzer said. "We need to have a conversation about the bottom 10%, or whatever you want to say the bottom is, and relegate those umpires to the minor leagues. That way the umpires are going against themselves. There's still a human element in how we rank umpires. Policing the bottom is the way to go."No. 3: Cold frontIt's early and can still feel like winter at first pitch in many places in the Northeast and Midwest. But it's interesting to see MLB hitters with a collective sub-.700 OPS (.699) entering play Friday. There hasn't been a sub-.700 OPS mark for a season since 1989 (.695).What's also interesting is hitters' walk rates are slightly up while strikeout rates are slightly down. So, this is a product of a power outage.MLB hitters are slugging a paltry .384. It's early, but average exit velocity, barrel rates, and home run-to-fly ball rates are down from last season. Have the characteristics of the ball changed again? Are more hitters than usual slumping? Have pitchers made more skill gains? It's something to keep an eye on.No. 4: Elly's other remarkable skillThere's not a more exciting or talented player in baseball than the Cincinnati Reds' young star, Elly De La Cruz. He's been arguably the best player in the majors in April. He's in the 90th percentile or higher in average exit velocity and hard-hit rate.One thing I learned in profiling him last spring is how quickly he improved and adapted to each minor-league level. He's the quickest of studies. Icon Sportswire / Getty ImagesWhile regression will likely come to some degree for De La Cruz, he appears to be making real gains in his swing decisions, which is a terrifying prospect for opponents. He's cut his out-of-zone swing percentage by eight points to 27% this year. Elly De La Cruz is making Juan Soto-esque swing decisions in the last 2 weeksYes, you read that right pic.twitter/3z8wwiX0vn— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) April 24, 2024 De La Cruz could own the highest ceiling in the game if he continues to be mindful of his strike zone.No. 5: An amazing Mike Trout statSpeaking of zone discipline and how it can help unlock physical gifts, Mike Trout has swung at just one pitch above the strike zone since 2018. (And that was a check swing on a borderline offering in 2022).As remarkable as Trout's athletic skills and power are, his zone discipline is another superpower. He knows where his compact, powerful swing does the most damage - lower in the zone - and essentially only swings in those areas. If he can stay healthy, Trout is demonstrating he still enjoys superstar talent. Hopefully, a contender can pry him away from the Angels this summer. No. 6: Too close to call?The Dalton Varsho for Gabriel Moreno and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. trade was a good old-fashioned deal last offseason, trading major-league players from areas of surplus to address areas of need.Last postseason, when Moreno was helping the Diamondbacks to a surprise World Series run and impacting the game on both sides of the ball, it appeared Arizona had fleeced the Toronto Blue Jays. Gurriel - the throw-in player - even produced a better WAR than Varsho in the regular season. But with Varsho's bat rebounding early this year, he's looking more like the 5.0-WAR player he was in 2022. Julio Aguilar / Getty ImagesVarsho accumulated 1.5 fWAR this season prior to Friday's game, nearly matching his total from last year (2.1). With Moreno struggling to generate much power early this season, the trade suddenly looks more balanced. And it'll likely still appear that way even if Moreno's bat begins to warm up.No. 7: Speaking of VarshoVarsho leads major-league outfielders in defensive runs saved this season (seven). Since 2022, he enjoys a large lead over the second-ranked outfielder, Steven Kwan (55 to 33).While Varsho owns his share of spectacular grabs, he makes tough catches appear only modestly challenging.Consider this grab from this week. This is one of those plays that Daulton Varsho makes look way easier than it actually was.*5% catch probability*Jump 10 feet better than league averageGive this man a gold glove. pic.twitter/RGM1GF624o— Chris Black (@DownToBlack) April 25, 2024 It might not appear on a nightly top-10 highlight reel, but it was a remarkable catch. The play required making a correct read, avoiding a false first step, running a perfect route, and making a diving catch.I'd like to see Varsho full time in center field for the Jays. That would open up more offensive firepower to a corner spot. He'll get more time there for a few weeks with Kevin Kiermaier on the injured list.But wherever Varsho plays, the Jays look like they added the player they thought they were getting last winter.No. 8: TroubleThe St. Louis Cardinals are a mess. They're not hitting. Paul Goldschmidt is showing signs of decline. Former top prospect Jordan Walker struggled so badly that he's back in the minors. And while the Cardinals have improved their pitching rotation, they still have too few bat-missing arms. Ezra Shaw / Getty ImagesSt. Louis entered play Friday ranked 25th in run differential (minus-26). Which teams are worse? The Chicago White Sox (minus-85), who are being outscored by 3.4 runs per game, the Colorado Rockies (minus-56), Miami Marlins (minus-47), Athletics (minus-38), and Houston Astros (minus-38).Last May, I wrote about how Houston was in the early stages of decline because of the brain drain in the front office, a weakening farm system, and less pitching depth. The team still owns a formidable lineup, but a lack of quality pitching and depth will make overcoming a 7-19 start challenging.No. 9: One in a millionAfter more than 150 years of major-league play, it's difficult for a pitcher to create a unique line score, but Luis Gil did earlier this month.On April 15 against the Blue Jays, the New York Yankees right-hander posted a box-score line of five innings, three hits, three runs (all earned), seven walks, and six strikeouts.According to James Smyth and Baseball Reference, that line had never appeared before in the more than 1.1 million outings in MLB history.You never know what you're going to see at the ballpark.Travis Sawchik is theScore's senior baseball writer.

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When I was a beat reporter covering the Pirates in the mid-2010s, Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle often arrived at his postgame press conference with a few folded pages of notes. One item he almost always scribbled down and recited was the rate at which that day's starting pitcher got ahead of opposing batters.In some ways, baseball is that simple. Count leverage - whether a batter or pitcher is ahead or behind - is sometimes referred to as baseball's line of scrimmage, and for good reason. Amid their offensive struggles this season, Pirates hitting coach Andy Haines made that analogy this week when speaking with MLB's Alex Stumpf.Count leverage tilts the probability of a positive outcome in one's favor. Earn it often enough, and you'll improve your odds of winning the game.For instance, entering Thursday's games, the 10 teams that throw the most pitches ahead in the count have a median team ERA of 3.53. The bottom 10? A 4.70 median ERA.Another way of looking at it: these top 10 teams had a 177-133 record, while the bottom 10 were 124-183 entering Thursday.It boils down to something even simpler: who wins the first pitch.!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;rMany know this fundamental concept, but the performance gap between a 1-0 count and an 0-1 count might come as a surprise. There's a difference of about 200 OPS points between a plate appearance that starts with a ball (.790) and one with a strike (.584). The league average OPS is .696, so that's the difference between a borderline All-Star and a replacement-level player.This spread is nearly constant through the years. The gulf in OPS after a first-pitch strike and a first-pitch ball is 207 points this year. It was 206 points last year. It was 210 points in 2020, 209 points in 2010, 225 points in 2000, 202 points in 1990, and 199 points in 1988, the first year of pitch-level data available at Baseball Reference. MediaNews Group / Getty ImagesThe teams leading the majors in 1-0 counts by their batters through play Thursday? The Yankees and Dodgers, both with more than 500 so far.The Dodgers enjoy an .885 OPS after a plate appearance begins with a 1-0 count, compared to a .680 OPS after an 0-1 count. The Yankees' split is more modest at .735/.629Either way, the lesson is: get ahead.Not only do the Dodgers have several discerning hitters, but opponents so fear their lineup that they're less likely to attack the zone. That only places opponents in a more difficult position. The Dodgers lead the majors in runs scored (177), and wRC+ (129).There are two teams with fewer than 400 1-0 counts as hitters: the Colorado Rockies and Chicago White Sox. They're arguably the two worst major-league teams, ranking 30th (Rockies, 77) and 28th (White Sox, 74) in wRC+. The White Sox rank last in runs scored.!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;rOn the mound, the Red Sox have had a dramatic turnaround (MLB-best 2.60 ERA) in part because new pitching coach Andrew Bailey made getting ahead early a focus in camp. Boston pitcher Tanner Houck increased his first-pitch strike rate from 61% to 65% this year. Billie Weiss / Getty Images"It was as simple as, 'We gotta get you in the zone more with your stuff,'" Houck said.While an avalanche of data and information floods the game, winning games often starts with Step 1, and that's pitch No. 1.Travis Sawchik is theScore's senior baseball writer.

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos once said that he's often asked what's going to change in the next 10 years.

Starting Lineup is a biweekly collection of reporting, observations, and insights from the baseball beat, published every other week during the regular season.

On Sunday night, Major League Baseball unleashed a new avalanche of data on the baseball world.

TORONTO - The Toronto Blue Jays are struggling at the plate. That's no secret.