The Los Angeles Dodgers needed to find a new interpreter for Shohei Ohtani after they fired Ippei Mizuhara of his duties when he was placed under investigation for theft and illegal gambling.
Will Ireton was the man chosen for the job of replacing Mizuhara. Ireton has experience with the Dodgers in this role as he was the interpreter for Kenta Maeda during his time with the team from 2016-2019.
During his time with the Dodgers, Ireton has developed a stellar reputation and has received immense praise from manager Dave Roberts, via Jack Harris of the L.A. Times:
“Will is a secret weapon,” Roberts said. “I’m telling you, this guy is as selfless as a person as you’re gonna find.”
It is quite the tone shift from what Roberts had to say about Mizuhara during his brief time interacting with the Dodgers coaching staff. Roberts described the working relationship between the Dodgers and Mizuhara as ‘difficult’. Specifically, when Dodgers coaches needed to converse with Ohtani through Mizuhara.
Mizuhara implicated Ohtani in the scandal when a federal investigation uncovered illegal wire transfers that were made from a bank account under Ohtani’s name to bookmaker Mathew Bowyer. The transfers were initially explained as Ohtani paying off gambling debt of a for Mizuhara, who he considered a friend.
Ohtani has since been found innocent by a federal investigation, which revealed him to be the victim of Mizuhara’s alleged crimes. Mizuhara has been going through the legal process now and has a plea deal in place, but he pleaded not guilty as a formality.
Will Ireton’s history with the Dodgers
Ireton currently holds the position of manager of performance operations within the Dodgers organization, along with his added responsibility of being Ohtani’s interpreter going forward.
As previously mentioned, he joined the organization in 2016 and served as Maeda’s interpreter. However, he remained with the Dodgers even after Maeda was traded to the Minnesota Twins in 2019.
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