Shohei Ohtani: don’t be surprised if he sets his sights on the Cy Young Award

Shohei Ohtani is obviously a great player.

But in his DNA, the goal is not just to play for the name on his jersey: he wants to play for the logo. That's why he has deferred 97% of his salary into the future, in effect.

Shohei Ohtani on being such a big part of Dodgers history after just two seasons:

“You play for the name on the front of your jersey, not for the name on the back. If I were to use a comparison, I don't look at Decoy like I'm his owner, we're friends, we're family. I'm just one of the… pic.twitter.com/KCr1rfnoea

— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) February 6, 2026

Since joining the Dodgers, he has been known primarily as a hitter. He didn't pitch in 2024 and pitched in 2025, but not much. We're talking about 67.1 innings in total, including the playoffs.

This is not unusual, considering that he was coming back from a serious injury.

But now, in 2026, Ohtani is ready to take it to the next level. His arm is healthy, and he will once again be able to show everything he can do on the ball field.

Mark Prior, his pitching coach with the Dodgers, says we'll see the “full version” of Shohei Ohtani in 2026.

Mark Prior says a “full version” of Shohei Ohtani will be seen this year on the mound.

“It's going to be fun to watch him.” pic.twitter.com/H5HS8Rc64a

— Dodgers Territory (@LADTerritory) February 6, 2026

This leads me to wonder: will Shohei Ohtani try to do everything he can to win the Cy Young Award in 2026 in order to help his club 100%? I'm seriously asking myself this question.

Ohtani is an excellent pitcher… and if he only pitched, he would undoubtedly be the #1 starter in the Los Angeles rotation.

Ohtani, who will not be pitching in the World Baseball Classic, finished fourth in the Cy Young race in 2022 with the Angels. It was the only season in five years that he did not win MVP.

And that's the challenge for the Dodgers: balancing the Japanese player's talent. Because I don't think the club's management wants him to hit less well in order to pitch more often.

But at the same time, if the guy can win a Cy Young (the only regular season trophy that has eluded him so far), why hold him back?

We don't expect to see Ohtani pitching until the end of his playing career. I expect that deep down, the Japanese player wants to prove that he's not just another pitcher in 2026.

This content was created with the help of AI.