Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani Predicted to Finish Top 3 in Cy Young Award

Coming into the 2026 season, Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani had a personal goal for the year. This was to win the Cy Young award in the National League, an accomplishment that he has yet to make happen.

Ohtani entered the season without pitching restrictions for the first time since 2023. The right-handed pitcher was great after returning to the mound last season, but like any other competitor, Ohtani wanted more from himself.

So far, Ohtani has been very strong on the mound, and he may be seen as the favorite to win the award if his performance were to keep up. Overall, Ohtani has made five starts for the Dodgers this season, posting an ERA of 0.60 over 30 innings of work.

Winning the Cy Young award seems to be very important to the two-way superstar, and the Dodgers have been supportive of this goal. And Ohtani is now being predicted to finish in the top three of voting for the NL honor.

Both David Schoenfield and Jeff Passan of ESPN believe that Ohtani will be in the conversation for the award, but that he won't win it. Part of this has to do with innings pitched, and the fact that Paul Skenes remains a formidable foe in the NL.

"Third behind Skenes and Chase Burns," Passan wrote. "Because he will not throw nearly as many innings as pitchers in five-man rotations, Ohtani is always operating from behind when it comes to winning pitching-only awards. Unless his peripherals are so overwhelmingly better than everyone else's in the NL, innings pitched should be rewarded for their rarity, and that's a category in which Ohtani will struggle."

Skenes has only thrown four more innings than Ohtani to open the season, and the Dodgers star has looked much stronger on the mound. In fact, Ohtani is off to one of the better starts to a season in franchise history for the Dodgers.

In each of his five starts, Ohtani has pitched at least six innings, while allowing no more than five hits and one run without giving up a home run. These are numbers not seen from a pitcher in a long time, and Ohtani should be seen as the favorite to win the Cy Young right now.

The Dodgers have sat Ohtani from the lineup twice when he pitches, giving him more of a chance to focus on the mound. This could help his case to win the award, but only time will tell.

The big question is whether Ohtani can stay healthy throughout the entire season, or if the Dodgers cut his innings. Los Angeles has bigger goals than just Ohtani winning the Cy Young, and the team could try to give him extra rest.

Ohtani has undergone two major elbow surgeries in his career already, so the Dodgers will take a cautious approach to avoid him suffering an unnecessary injury. But if he can win the award, while Los Angeles reaches its team goals, that would be the cherry on top of everything.

If there is anyone in baseball to accomplish these feats, it's Ohtani, and it's been proven not to doubt his ability. But consistency is key when it comes to the Cy Young award, and the season is still very young.

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