Winning Cy Young 'Extremely' Important to Shohei Ohtani, Says Dodgers Manager

The Los Angeles Dodgers have gotten off to a strong start this season as the team looks to go after a three-peat. Los Angeles's roster is full of talent, but no player is more crucial to the success of the team than two-way star Shohei Ohtani.

Acting as an elite hitter and pitcher for the Dodgers, Ohtani gives Los Angeles something that no other team in baseball has. And since early this new year, Ohtani has made it clear that he had a goal to be the best pitcher in baseball, which would result in him winning his first-ever Cy Young award.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has been supportive of Ohtani's goal to win the Cy Young, and he discussed this idea with longtime sports analyst Dan Patrick on his show. According to Roberts, winning the award this year is "extremely important" to the Dodgers ace.

"Extremely [important]. I think with Shohei, he's done everything on the field. He's carried — not single-handedly, but almost single-handedly — the game of baseball as far as domestic, international, being the face of the game. [A Cy Young] is something he hasn't done," Roberts said.

Roberts also mentioned that there could be some competition from fellow Dodgers star Yoshinobu Yamamoto to become the first Japanese-born player to win a Cy Young. Both Ohtani and Yamamoto will likely be in the conversation this season if they can stay healthy throughout the year.

But for all of Ohtani's incredible accomplishments in his MLB career so far, winning the Cy Young has alluded him. But if Ohtani can remain healthy throughout the season, his should be in contention for the award.

Ohtani has been excellent on the mound to open the new year, making two starts and posting an ERA of 0.00. The right-handed pitcher has thrown 12 innings while striking out eight batters.

The big question for Ohtani the rest of the way isn't whether he can perform well, but rather how many starts he makes. Los Angeles will be careful to avoid any unnecessary injuries during the season, especially since Ohtani has had elbow injuries in the past, resulting in two major surgeries.

In his return to the mound last year, Ohtani made 14 regular-season starts for the Dodgers. Overall, he pitched 47 innings, registering an ERA of 2.87 and showing some encouraging signs for the future.

Los Angeles does have a collection of starting pitchers that they can use to give Ohtani some extra rest during the year. This includes Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Roki Sasaki, Emmet Sheehan, Justin Wrobleski and others who are making their way back from injury.

This Cy Young goal is lofty, but doubting Ohtani hasn't worked out well for anyone during his MLB career so far. Los Angeles will allow Ohtani to go after the award as long as he is healthy, but both sides know that the ultimate prize can't be won until late October or early November.

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