Shohei Ohtani is entering his first full season with the Los Angeles Dodgers as a two-way player after returning to the mound last June from a second career Tommy John surgery.
The Dodgers took a methodical approach to building up Ohtani and fully stretched him out by the playoffs. He wound up logging 67.1 innings between the regular season and postseason.
Ohtani shouldn’t have any limitations this year and could put himself in the Cy Young Award race if he continues to pitch at an elite level. However, the 31-year-old said his top priority is staying healthy and anything extra would be icing on the cake.
“If the end result is getting a Cy Young, that’s great,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton. “Getting a Cy Young means just being able to throw more innings and pitch throughout the whole season. So if that’s the end result, that’s a good sign for me. And that’s what I’m more focused on, just being healthy the whole year.”
Ohtani’s best season as a pitcher came in 2022 with the Los Angeles Angels, when he went 15-9 with a 2.33 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and MLB-best 11.9 strikeouts per nine. He set career highs in innings pitched (166) and starts (28), finishing fourth in American League Cy Young Award voting.
Dave Roberts expects career year from Shohei Ohtani
Ohtani has done nothing but wow since signing with the Dodgers, winning the MVP Award twice and setting numerous records along the way.
With Ohtani now set to pitch on a regular basis, manager Dave Roberts believes the best is yet to come for the two-way star.
“Yeah, I do,” Roberts answered when asked if Ohtani still has some untapped potential. “I think that certainly last year, coming off surgery, the regular offseason ramp-up, I think there’s certainly a lot more in there.
“And regardless of my expectations for him, his are going to exceed those. I think it’s fair to say he expects to be in the Cy Young conversation.
“But we just want him to be healthy and make starts, and all the numbers and statistics will take care of themselves. But man, this guy is such a disciplined worker and expects the most from himself.”
Roberts was most impressed with Ohtani’s command last season and believes he will be even better in that department this year.
“I think the thing that was most surprising from last year was his command,” Roberts said of Ohtani. “And I’ll say that he still feels his command wasn’t up to par. But given the Tommy John and what typically command looks like the year after, it was above that. So I think that was impressive.
“Just his ability to command the couple different breaking balls, to change the shape of his breaking balls, was pretty impressive. Everything he does is with a purpose. So I’m really excited to see what the full offseason to just prepare and not rehab, what he can do this year.”
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
