PHOENIX — As Shohei Ohtani advanced in his rehabilitation, built up his endurance, and started looking like a conventional mound-starter towards the end of the previous season, Los Angeles Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior presumed their collaborative efforts would be hampered. The allure of hitting was constant, his availability was frequently constrained, and the dialogues Prior typically shares with his coaching peers during innings breaks, he considered impractical for a player with dual roles. However, Prior’s assumption was swiftly disproven. Ohtani’s ambitions surpassed his capacity.
“Each inning, he would enter,” Prior said, “for a debriefing.”
Except when slated to bat first in the subsequent half-inning, Ohtani would stride into the team shelter, locate an unoccupied space near the dugout seating, and meet with his backstop and Prior to analyze the preceding events and strategize for what lay ahead. Ohtani sought insights into his pitches’ effectiveness and the batters’ reactions, discerning if their tactical approach was successful or if modifications were necessary. Frequently, these discussions occurred as Ohtani hurried to don his hitting gear and rush to the on-deck area. Numerous times, he would pose a query mid-discussion, anticipating a response once he reappeared.
“Typically, players would take a moment to rest,” Prior said. “He would immediately begin articulating and discussing the ongoing situation, aware that his availability is constrained. I hadn’t fully grasped that this would be his approach. My expectation was for more pre-game preparation, followed by his play, and perhaps further post-game assessment. Instead, he mirrored every other hurler — entirely focused on the present.”
Executives within the Dodgers organization who observed Ohtani manage mound duties and batting concurrently in the past year discovered that this duality manifested in two separate temperaments. While solely engaged in hitting, Ohtani appeared calm, frequently cheerful. However, when he also pitched, his fervor intensified, revealing a distinct competitive drive. As spring camp commenced, with Ohtani gearing up to undertake comprehensive dual responsibilities for the first time in three seasons, numerous observers have noted a palpable resolve.
“It appears he is driven by a singular objective concerning his pitching,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “Historically, when he’s shown such resolve, favorable outcomes have ensued.”
Friedman observed this phenomenon in 2024, the initial year of Ohtani’s decennial, $700 million agreement with the Dodgers. A subsequent surgical intervention on his ulnar collateral ligament had precluded him from pitching; consequently, Ohtani endeavored to become a more assertive base-stealer. He exceeded his prior career best in stolen bases by more than twofold, joined the exclusive 50/50 club, and was the inaugural designated hitter to secure an MVP title. Friedman is now one of many convinced that Ohtani will channel comparable dedication into his pitching efforts. The resulting achievements are left to conjecture.
“His potential knows no bounds,” Dodgers catcher Will Smith said. “He is capable of claiming a Cy Young award this season. Of that, I am entirely confident.”
Ohtani, at 31, has secured four MVP accolades over the last five years, each by unanimous vote. Following six seasons spent underperforming with Los Angeles Angels squads that consistently missed postseason play, he now stands as a two-time title holder. The Cy Young remains the sole significant honor he has yet to attain. While he stated at the commencement of training camp that “maintaining health throughout the entire year” was his paramount objective, it has grown evident to his instructors and fellow players that earning the title of the National League’s top pitcher — and unequivocally cementing his legacy as the most exceptional, unparalleled talent in Major League Baseball history — is a central aim.
“He desires a Cy Young,” Dodgers backup catcher Dalton Rushing said. “He yearns for a Cy Young, discernible from his recent demeanor here.”
OHTANI CONSISTENTLY HURLed fastballs in the mid-90s during the Dodgers’ inaugural official practice session of spring training, a noteworthy occurrence for an individual who typically prefers a gradual start to his pitching regimen. Subsequently, four days later, around 10 a.m. on February 17, Ohtani positioned himself on the pitching rubber on Field 1 at his team’s facility, ready to confront batters for the initial time this season. Rushing assumed a low stance behind home plate, as all key Dodgers executives gathered close by, clustered behind a modest protective screen. Their curiosity was aroused.
This pitching session, wherein Ohtani achieved 98 mph within a simulated inning, did nothing to moderate anticipations.
Rushing characterized his pitches as “electrifying.”
Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez, who observed from proximity, remarked: “I anticipate we will witness a transformed Shohei on the pitcher’s mound this year.”
Amidst two elbow operations, Ohtani commenced 74 games for the Angels between 2021 and 2023, compiling a 2.84 ERA, fanning 542 hitters, and allowing 143 bases on balls across 428⅓ frames. Of the 57 hurlers who logged a minimum of 400 innings during that period, merely two (Max Fried and Max Scherzer) registered a superior ERA. Just one (Blake Snell) exhibited a more elevated strikeout percentage. Nevertheless, the dominant query concerning Ohtani pertains to whether further potential still exists.
The duration of Ohtani’s pitching career remains unknown, yet his current situation leading into 2026 — having rejoined the starting rotation late in the previous year, thus facilitating a typical off-season, and now collaborating intimately with a franchise renowned for enhancing pitchers, notwithstanding its history of ailments — renders this the optimal moment to fully exploit his capabilities.
His fellow players might assist him.
Two decades and three years prior, Prior established a formidable pitching tandem with his Chicago Cubs colleague, Kerry Wood. Prior’s pitching proficiency improved as a result. Subsequently, as Prior transitioned into a coaching role, he observed how Clayton Kershaw’s influence uplifted Hyun-Jin Ryu, Walker Buehler, and Julio Urias. Prior anticipates a comparable dynamic unfolding between Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who placed third in the NL Cy Young ballot last season. Both possess an equally strong probability as any other contender to become the inaugural Japanese hurler to secure MLB’s premier pitching accolade.
Prior envisions them mutually motivating one another. However, they will also face motivation from Snell, a two-time Cy Young recipient, and Tyler Glasnow, who boasts some of the sport’s most impressive natural talent, in addition to a multitude of youthful, promising starters who complete what is arguably the sport’s finest rotation.
“It is the competitive benchmark one begins to establish,” Prior said. “Subsequently, it transforms into a sense of camaraderie or allegiance, however one chooses to characterize it — a desire to uphold the benchmark being established, whether by a single pitcher or perhaps three or four of them. Reaching this stage within the rotation’s ethos makes teams exceptionally competitive and immensely formidable, as no individual wishes to be perceived as the weakest element.”
OHTANI’S COMEBACK
His resumption of mound duties commenced with him fundamentally transitioning his recovery into actual contests. He initiated his appearances by tossing a single inning at a time in mid-June, only reaching the five-inning benchmark by late August. In total, he recorded a 3.34 ERA, accumulating 90 strikeouts and issuing just 16 walks across 67⅓ innings, including his postseason contributions.
Prior observed occasions where Ohtani grew overly predictable, for instance, when he relied extensively on his fastball-sweeper combination during an August 13 outing versus the Angels, facing repercussions. However, Prior likewise discerned moments when Ohtani’s exceptional mastery of six different pitches created avenues inaccessible to other hurlers. An example being his delivery of 23 curveballs during an August 27 game against the Cincinnati Reds, necessitated by the absence of his typical fastball velocity. Alternatively, in the midst of Game 4 of the NL Championship Series, during a three-homer barrage, he unexpectedly unveiled his splitter, providing Milwaukee Brewers’ batters with an additional pitch to contend with.
“I believe last year it was essential for him simply to return, regain his health, and resume throwing,” Prior remarked. “Presently, the focus might be on honing the application of his repertoire, perhaps adjusting his approach against batters, and comprehending the current state of his pitches.”
Prior to spring training, Ohtani had already concluded two bullpen practice sessions at nearly maximum effort. Upon his departure from Dodgers camp on Feb. 23 to participate with his Japanese teammates in a World Baseball Classic where he would exclusively bat, he had finished two full innings and appeared poised to integrate into the pitching rotation by Opening Day.
Once he rejoins his teammates — potentially as late as March 19 should Japan progress to the championship game — the expectation is that Ohtani will have confronted batters at least two extra times. However, operational challenges might pose an issue. The arduousness of international travel, the demanding nature of a rigorous tournament, and the constraints of a practice schedule often seeing the Japan national team rehearsing on high school fields, could all impede his progress.
Consistent with their established practice, the Dodgers will not expedite Ohtani’s integration as a hurler, neither at the season’s commencement nor throughout its course. The availability of young, flexible starters including Emmet Sheehan, River Ryan, Gavin Stone, Kyle Hurt, Roki Sasaki, Landon Knack, and Justin Wrobleski permits them to grant Ohtani as many rest periods between his outings as necessary. Ohtani might maintain peak physical condition throughout the year and effortlessly remain under 25 starts — a figure that 82 hurlers exceeded in 2025. The sheer lack of opportunities alone might diminish his prospects for the Cy Young Award. Nevertheless, even with a multitude of challenges before him, the expectations remain immensely lofty.
He usually manages to fulfill them.
“He is consistently placed in situations where one anticipates something extraordinary will occur, and he seldom lets down,” stated Dodgers third baseman Max Muncy. “In my opinion, it will be the identical scenario this year — he will not let us down.”