How did Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter become a major Dodgers asset? Exploring Will Ireton’s rise from MiLB hopeful to front-office force

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani's stardom has touched new heights since he joined the NL West team. The three-time MVP has had his interpreter, Will Ireton, by his side during the ascent.

Ireton became Ohtani's interpreter after the Japanese star's former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara was fired in the wake of a gambling scandal last year.

However, Ireton started with a different career aspiration. Born to a Japanese-American father and a Spanish-Filipina mother, Ireton played high school baseball at Mid-Pacific Institute in Honolulu.

He got his Bachelor of Science in International Business Management at Menlo College in 2012. Later that year, Ireton played for the Philippines National Team in the 2012 Asian Cup and the World Baseball Classic.

During the WBC, Ireton served as a translator for his teammates and the Philippines National Team's coach. His role caught the attention of MLB teams as he interned for the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees.

His journey with the Dodgers started in 2016 when he arrived as former NPB star Kenta Maeda's translator. Ireton got the moniker of "Will the Thrill" from Dodgers' president of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman for his energetic personality.

After Maeda left for the Minnesota Twins, Ireton joined the team's Triple-A affiliate, the Oklahoma City, delving into player development and analytics. He returned to the major leagues as the Dodgers' performance operations manager in 2021.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts emphasized Will Ireton's role

Will Ireton has played a major role in the Dodgers expanding their wings in Japan, helping the team better understand the playing culture in the country.

"There’s always players coming from Japan and so he always liaises on stuff like that ... and we count on him for a lot of things,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He’s like a hired gun, so whether it’s the minor leagues, a potential draftee, a potential trade or stuff that internally for that night’s game or kind of looking or projecting down the road and establishing, you know, building on relationships that we have in Japan, he’s the point person for the Dodgers.”

Ireton also serves as the translator for Shohei Ohtani's Japanese teammates Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was named the World Series MVP, and rookie Roki Sasaki.

His impact goes well beyond his role as interpreter for the Japanese contingent.

Edited by Chaitanya Prakash