[Daniel Ko (right), a Marshall High School Varsity Baseball player, and myself. Photo Credit: Minsoo Park]

The former interpreter of Shohei Ohtani, a Los Angeles Dodgers player and Major League Baseball star, pleaded guilty to tax and bank fraud charges back in June.

Ippei Mizuhara is accused of embezzling nearly $17M from Ohtani during the years he worked for the baseball star and was subsequently fired by the LA Dodgers.

Allegedly, Mizuhara used the stolen funds to pay off his mounting gambling debts.

With his sentencing hearing scheduled for October, Mizuhara faces up to 30 years in prison for bank fraud and an additional three years for the tax fraud charge.

Ohtani, who doesn’t speak English, relied on Mizuhara for translation during media interviews, financial dealing, and conducting other interpretation tasks required by the Japanese player.

The two-time MLB MVP fired Mizuhara after the allegations emerged.

This scandal has significant implications for the LA Dodgers and raises concerns about the integrity of MLB itself.

MLB’s delayed response to the scandal allowed rumors concerning the situation to spiral and consequently lost control of the narrative.

After waiting two days to release a statement, Major League Baseball lost some of its credibility in its ability to handle such a sensitive situation.

Furthermore, the scandal could potentially damage the reputation of the LA Dodgers, as they are called into question concerning the auditing of those closest to their players.

In an interview with Daniel Ko, a varsity athlete at Marshall High School in Minnesota, we explore the close relationship between players and their management teams, and the pressure this dynamic places on high school players.

Daniel sheds light on the management situation for high school baseball players.

He states, “Elite high school baseball players can be represented by an agent who can help them make informed decisions about going pro.”

Usually, it is coaches or family members who act as agents for most players, dealing with meals, transportation, sponsorships, salaries, and other aspects that require management.

Daniel continues to say, “Often high school kids are at the of a bidding war – coaches, agents, and families are betting on the kid’s ability to play baseball, make it to the Major Leagues, sell clothes, and receive large sponsorships.”

“Once agents take care of every aspect, from car purchases to shoe deals, they have complete control of the player.”

This creates an incentive for the players to follow what they’re being told, such as selecting a college for baseball or playing through injuries to ensure they get their name out there.

“I’ve seen many classmates play through injury and even worsen their injuries due to pressure from those around them,” Daniel states.

“There’s so much money in baseball that high school kids are often wooed from an early age by potential sponsors.”

“When a big payday is on the line and your advisors are telling you to play, no matter the situation, you play.”

It seems as though agents, coaches, and families have a resounding influence over the actions of even high school players, which in turn can have long-term consequences on their career trajectory.

The pressure to succeed is so intense that players put themselves at risk of injury, and will constantly have their heads turned by the amount of money in the game.

Unless there are more stringent regulations for high school players, this could be a slippery slope for a lot of potential players as they de-prioritize their health and education due to outsider pressure, in the pursuit of success in a difficult sport.