From 50/50 to Cy Young? Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani on a mission

Editor’s note: This story was originally published on March 3, 2026. Shohei Ohtani is scheduled to take the field against the New York Mets on April 15 at 10 PM ET on ESPN.

phoenix-like shohei ohtani As he progressed through rehabilitation, his stamina increased and over the past year he began to resemble a traditional starting pitcher, los angeles dodgers Pitching coach Mark Pryor assumed their work together would lead to a compromise. Hitting was always pointed, time was often limited and Pryor often had conversations between innings with the rest of his staff that, he thought, would be unrealistic with a two-way player. But Pryor was soon proven wrong. Ohtani’s aspirations outstripped his bandwidth.

“Every inning he came in and it was a review,” Pryor said.

Unless he was preparing to lead off the next half inning, Ohtani would march into the dugout, find an empty spot near the bench and meet with his catcher and Pryor to analyze what happened and plan what would happen next. Ohtani wanted to know how his stuff was going and how hitters were reacting, whether the game plan was working or whether adjustments were needed. Often, these conversations would take place while Ohtani would don his batting equipment and sprint around the on-deck circle. On several occasions, he would leave a question in the air and expect an answer upon his return.

“Most people will breathe a sigh of relief,” Pryor said. “He’ll start blabbering and talking about what’s going on because he knows obviously, his time is limited. I didn’t appreciate how it was going to happen. I thought it was going to be more pregame, and then he goes and plays, and maybe some more evaluation afterward. But he was like every other pitcher — present in the moment.”

Dodgers executives who watched Ohtani juggle pitching and hitting together last year found that it created two distinct personalities. When he was simply hitting, Ohtani seemed relaxed and often cheerful. When he was also pitching, his intensity increased, a definite edge was evident. And as spring training began, Ohtani was preparing to tackle full-time two-way duties for the first time in three years, a clear intention many have noticed.

“Pitching-wise it seems like he’s on a mission,” said Andrew Friedman, the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations. “Every time we’ve seen him on a mission, good things have happened.”

Friedman sees it in 2024, the first season of Ohtani’s 10-year, $700 million contract with the Dodgers. A second repair of his ulnar collateral ligament took pitching off the table, and so Ohtani. Ready to become a more aggressive baserunner. He more than doubled his previous career high in stolen bases, chartered the 50/50 club and became the first designated hitter to win MVP. Friedman is now among those who believe Ohtani will place a similar focus on pitching. What it produces can only be left to the imagination.

“There’s no limits with him,” Dodgers catcher Will Smith Said. “He can go out there and win the Cy Young this year. I have no doubt about that.”

Ohtani, 31, has claimed four MVP awards in the past five years, all of them unanimously. After suffering for six years Los Angeles Angels Teams that never reached the playoffs are now two-time champions. A Cy Young is the only major award that has eluded him. And although he expressed this at the beginning of the camp “Staying healthy all year round” is their primary focusIt became clear to his coaches and teammates that being named the National League’s best pitcher – and there is no doubt that he is the greatest, most prodigious talent in Major League Baseball history – is a goal.

“He wants a Cy Young,” Dodgers backup catcher dalton rushing Said. “He wants a Cy Young, and you can tell by the way you’ve been carrying yourself here lately.”

ohtani bowled continuously mid 90’s during the Dodgers’ first official workout of spring training, a remarkable development for someone who traditionally likes to ease into his throwing program. Four days later, at approximately 10 a.m. on February 17, Ohtani took his position atop the mound at Field 1 of his team’s complex and prepared to face hitters for the first time this year. Rushing crouched behind home plate, while every major Dodgers decision-maker stood nearby, crowding behind a small net. His interest increased.

The session, during which Ohtani reached 98 mph in a simulated inning, did not exceed expectations.

Rushing described his stuff as “electric”.

the Dodgers outfielder said teoscar hernandezJoe standing nearby: “I think we’re going to expect a different Shohei on the mound this year.”

Between two elbow surgeries, Ohtani made 74 starts for the Angels from 2021 to 2023, during which he posted a 2.84 ERA, struck out 542 batters and issued 143 walks in 428⅓ innings. Of the 57 pitchers who compiled at least 400 innings in that span, only two (max fried And max shazer) had a low ERA. only one (blake snell) had a higher strikeout rate. And yet, the prevailing question around Ohtani is whether there’s more upside left.

No one knows how long Ohtani will be able to pitch, but his circumstances heading into 2026 — having returned to the rotation late last year, paving the way for a normal offseason, and now teaming up with an organization known for improving pitchers despite its reputation for injuries — make it the ideal time to maximize his potential.

His friends could help him.

Twenty-three years ago, Pryor formed a devastating rotation pairing with partner chicago cubs Teammate Kerry Wood. This made Pryor a better pitcher. Later, as Pryor developed as a coach, he noticed how Clayton Kershaw’s presence grew hyun jin ryu, walker buehler And Julio Urias. Pryor believes something similar will happen between Ohtani and yoshinobu yamamotoWho finished third in NL Cy Young voting last year. Both have as good a chance as anyone to become the first Japanese pitchers to capture MLB’s top pitching award.

Pryor expects them to push each other. But he will also be pushed by two-time Cy Young winner Snell tyler glasnowWhich has some of the best raw material in the game, along with several young, promising starters who round out arguably the best rotation in the game.

“It’s this competitive standard that you start building,” Pryor said. “And then, it becomes like a brotherhood or like a loyalty thing, however you want to describe it, like you want to maintain the standard that’s being set whether it’s one pitcher or maybe three or four of them. And when you get to that part of the rotation culture, that’s when teams become extremely competitive, and they become extremely lethal because no one wants to be the weak link.”

Ohtani’s return Pitching began by essentially taking his rehabilitation to games. He began throwing one inning at a time in mid-June and did not reach the five-inning mark until late August. All told, he pitched to a 3.34 ERA with 90 strikeouts and 16 walks in 67⅓ innings, including the playoffs.

There have been instances before when Ohtani became too predictable, such as when he relied too heavily on his fastball-sweeper mix in his start against the Angels on August 13 and it paid off. But Pryor also saw times when Ohtani’s command of six pitches opened doors unavailable to others. Like when he threw 23 curveballs on August 27 against cincinnati reds Because the velocity of his fastball was not there. or in the middle of Game 4 of the NL Championship Series, when, In the middle of a three-homer gameHe suddenly deployed his splitter and delivered another offering to account for the Milwaukee Brewers’ hitters.

“I think it was important for him last year to come back, get healthy and pitch,” Pryor said. “Now, it’s probably about usage, refining the arsenal, maybe how he attacks bats, and knowing what his stuff is now.”

Before spring training, Ohtani had already completed two bullpen sessions with full intensity. By the time he left the Dodgers camp on February 23 to join his Japanese teammates for the World Baseball Classic, in which he had only one hit, he had thrown two full innings and seemed on track to join the rotation by Opening Day.

Upon rejoining his teammates — perhaps as early as March 19 if Japan advances to the championship game — expect Ohtani to face hitters at least two additional times. But logistics can be a problem. The difficulty of international travel, the reality of highly competitive tournaments, and the limitations of practice schedules, which often require the Japan national team to train on high school fields, can all get in the way.

As is their practice, the Dodgers will not rush Ohtani as a pitcher, either in or during the season. Such as the presence of young, alternative starters Emmett Sheehan, Ryan River, gavin stone, kyle hurt, roki sasaki, landon neck And Justin Wrobleski Allows them to give Ohtani as many days off as needed between starts. Ohtani can stay healthy all year and easily make no more than 25 starts — a total that 82 pitchers exceed in 2025. Only chance can hurt his chances at a Cy Young Award. And yet, despite the many obstacles facing him, expectations are once again high.

He keeps meeting them.

The Dodgers third baseman said, “He keeps being put in places where you expect something incredible to happen, and he rarely disappoints.” max munsey Said. “For me, it’s going to be the same this year – he won’t disappoint.”