Will Ireton 'is a secret weapon' for the Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers needed to find a new performer for Shohei Ohtani after firing Ippei Mizuhara from his position while he was under investigation for theft and illegal gambling.

Will Ireton was the man chosen to replace Mizuhara. Ireton has experience with the Dodgers in this role as he played for Kenta Maeda during his time with the team from 2016-2019.

During his time with the Dodgers, Ireton developed an excellent reputation and received immense praise from manager Dave Roberts, via Jack Harris of the LA Times:

“Willpower is a secret weapon,” Roberts said. “I tell you, this guy is as selfless as a person you’re going to find.”

This is quite a change in tone from what Roberts had to say about Mizuhara during his brief interaction with the Dodgers coaching staff. Roberts described the working relationship between the Dodgers and Mizuhara as “difficult.” Specifically, when the Dodgers coaches had to speak with Ohtani through Mizuhara.

Mizuhara implicated Ohtani in the scandal when a federal investigation uncovered illegal wire transfers made from a bank account in Ohtani's name to bookmaker Mathew Bowyer. The transfers were initially explained by Ohtani paying off the gambling debt of Mizuhara, whom he considered a friend.

Ohtani has since been found innocent by a federal investigation, which found he was the victim of Mizuhara's alleged crimes. Mizuhara has now gone through the court process and reached a plea deal, but he pleaded not guilty as a formality.

Will Ireton's history with the Dodgers

Ireton currently serves as the Head of Performance Operations within the Dodgers organization, along with the added responsibility of being Ohtani's interpreter moving 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.