LogFAQs > #986864939

Calwings posted...

He's definitely on the greatest run in baseball history. Being an all-time great hitter while also pitching really well is just absurd.

It's not really a good comparison. Part of the reason Ohtani's success is so absurd is that he's a 2-way player. He hits as a batter, pitches as a pitcher, and does both at an all-star level at the same time, which no one else in baseball history has ever done. I don't think swimming has any equivalent of a "2-way player" to fairly compare to, so comparing Phelps to Ohtani is like comparing apples to a banana split. The best comparison would be like an NFL player being an amazing quarterback or running back on offense while also playing on defense at an all-star level too, which I'm pretty sure has never happened.

You'd have to combine Michael Phelps and Greg Louganis to have something resembling Ohtani.

Back when two way players were the norm in football, there were a lot of stars, but none were at the absurd level of Ohtani. Not even the great Jim Thorpe, who might be the most versatile athelete of all time, played at this absurd level.
One modern dude came close, but unfortunately we will never know because Bo Jackson suffered that horrible hip injury.