For years, baseball fans have asked the same question: How is Shohei Ohtani even possible?
Now, researchers at Harvard Business School believe they may have uncovered one of the secrets behind the Dodgers superstar’s extraordinary rise.
LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani has spent the past decade redefining what a baseball player can be.
He dominates on the mound as a starting pitcher.
He crushes home runs as one of the league’s most dangerous hitters.
And he does it all while maintaining the calm discipline of a veteran leader.
To many fans, Ohtani’s talent feels almost mythical — a once-in-a-generation phenomenon who breaks baseball’s traditional rules.
But according to research highlighted by Harvard Business School, his success may not be accidental.
It may have started with a powerful mindset system he adopted as a teenager.
The Question That Fascinated Harvard
Across Major League Baseball, players are typically developed through specialization.
Pitchers focus only on pitching.
Hitters refine a single offensive style.
Defenders concentrate on mastering one position.
The modern system rarely encourages players to become fully versatile.
Yet Ohtani rejected that approach.
He insisted on becoming both an elite starting pitcher and a complete hitter, even when coaches warned the path was unrealistic.
That determination led Harvard Business School professor Frances X. Frei to explore a deeper question:
How did Ohtani develop the mindset necessary to pursue something so difficult?
Her research traced the answer back to a structured goal-setting strategy known as the Harada Method.
The Harada Method: A Blueprint for Success
The Harada Method was created by Japanese educator Takashi Harada and is widely taught in Japanese schools and athletic programs.
Its core philosophy is simple but powerful:
Dream boldly — then break the dream into precise, daily actions.
According to Frei, the method begins with a long-term ambition.
For a young Shohei Ohtani, that ambition was crystal clear:
Become the No. 1 draft pick in four years.
From there, the system required him to identify eight key areas of development that would move him toward that goal.
His list included:
- Physical conditioning
- Mental strength
- Pitch control
- Pitch sharpness
- Pitch speed
- Pitch deception
- Character
- Karma
Each category then expanded into specific daily habits designed to reinforce improvement.
The Small Habits That Built a Superstar
What surprised Harvard researchers most wasn’t just Ohtani’s technical training.
It was the personal values embedded in his plan.
Some of the daily behaviors listed in his chart included:
- Pick up trash
- Clean his room
- Show respect toward umpires
- Become a person people root for
At first glance, those habits may seem unrelated to baseball success.
But Frei believes they played a crucial role.
“Cool head, hot heart,” she noted, referencing a phrase Ohtani included in his plan.
The philosophy emphasized discipline, humility, and emotional control — traits that now define Ohtani’s presence on the field.
Character and Karma
Two words on Ohtani’s chart especially stood out to Harvard researchers:
Character
Karma
While many athletes focus exclusively on performance metrics, Ohtani intentionally built his development plan around personal values.
Frei argues that those principles may have helped stabilize his mindset during the immense pressure of professional sports.
“If he only focused on pitching skills,” she explained, “I don’t think he would be as successful.”
Instead, the method pushed Ohtani to develop every aspect of himself — mentally, physically, and ethically.
More Than Just a Training System
Of course, the Harada Method alone didn’t turn Ohtani into baseball’s most unique talent.
His journey also required:
- Extraordinary physical ability
- Elite coaching
- Family support
- Relentless execution
But the structured mindset created a clear roadmap that allowed him to visualize success long before he achieved it.
The result is a player who has already accomplished feats many believed impossible.
A Different Model for Greatness
Today, Shohei Ohtani stands as one of the most influential figures in modern sports.
His ability to dominate both as a pitcher and hitter continues to reshape baseball’s expectations for what athletes can achieve.
And if Harvard’s analysis is correct, the roots of that greatness may not lie solely in talent.
They may lie in something far simpler:
A teenager writing down a dream…
And building a plan to reach it one day at a time.
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