Ohtani Eyes Cy Young Award
Shohei Ohtani is targeting a Cy Young Award with the Dodgers this season, looking to add pitching's top honor to his already historic two-way resume. The superstar is focused on his recovery from elbow surgery and redefining what's possible for a modern pitcher-hitter hybrid as LA seeks another World Series run.
This isn't the first time Shohei Ohtani has been in the Cy Young conversation. In 2022, he finished fourth in the American League voting after a stellar season on the mound for the Angels. That year, he posted a 2.33 ERA with 214 strikeouts over 166 innings, finishing with a 15-9 record. His pursuit of the award comes after a second major elbow surgery in September 2023. The procedure was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who also performed Ohtani's first Tommy John surgery in 2018. This time, the surgery was described as a reinforcement of the existing ulnar collateral ligament rather than a full reconstruction. History shows that a comeback to Cy Young form after such a surgery is possible. Justin Verlander won his third Cy Young in 2022 after returning from Tommy John surgery, and Jacob deGrom won back-to-back awards after his own procedure. However, no pitcher has ever won the Cy Young after undergoing a second major elbow surgery. When Ohtani returns to the mound in 2026, he will be part of a formidable six-man starting rotation for the Dodgers. This setup is expected to also feature star pitchers like Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow, which could help manage workloads throughout the season. The competition for the National League Cy Young is expected to be fierce. Early predictions for 2026 highlight Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes, who won the award in 2025, as a top contender. Ohtani's own teammate, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, is also considered a strong candidate for the honor.
