Teoscar Hernández was beaming with enthusiasm on Tuesday when he made his debut on Sportsnet LA. He grinned from ear to ear when asked about playing with, rather than against, his new partner Shohei Ohtani.

“I respect Ohtani for taking on him and competing against him,” Hernández remarked to Jerry Hairston Jr. “At the moment, I’m incredibly eager to play with him and witness his abilities on the baseball field.”

Hernández faced Ohtani seven times in his career, having played in Seattle the previous season. He has three strikeouts, one walk, and one hit. After agreeing to a one-year, $23.5 million contract to be his teammate, there’s no need to get ready to play against him anytime soon—at least not this season.

Hernández remarked, “I was talking to him yesterday.” He is also ecstatic. He introduced himself, told me hello, and said, “Now we play in the same team, we together doing this.” Just thinking about starting the season and playing with those guys excites me even more.

Although Ohtani hasn’t yet participated in a Dodgers game, he has assiduously assimilated into the team’s culture and has become into a formidable recruiter.

Ohtani made personal contact with players other than Hernández. Ohtani sent him a video pitch when the Dodgers were pursuing a trade with Tampa Bay for Tyler Glasnow. In addition, he sent Joe Kelly’s wife, Ashley, a brand-new Porsche as a thank you for helping to bring him to Los Angeles and for letting everyone know that her husband would be happy to give up his number on his behalf.

Ohtani agreed to a record-breaking $700 million, ten-year contract. His ability to recruit is only increasing his prospects of winning one or two World Series, which is what he wants to do.