Shohei Ohtani’s Debut 2026 Pitching Start Shows Why He’s Fantasy Baseball’s MVP

Shohei Ohtani showed baseball fans why he is the league MVP, and by a long shot on Tuesday night.

Mar 24, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) reacts after throwing an inside pitch to Los Angeles Angels center fielder Jo Adell (7) in the fourth at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Shohei Ohtani made his 2026 pitching debut on Monday when the Dodgers took on the Cleveland Guardians. In that game, Ohtani put out extremely good numbers of 6 IP, 6 strikeouts, 1 hit allowed, and 3 walks. As always, Ohtani has shown us all why he is an MVP favorite and by a long shot. While Ohtani knocks big power with his bat, he also delivers elite stuff on the mound.

Fantasy Baseball Ranking

Ohtani's pitching stuff looked as good as you can hope for in his season debut. In 2025, Ohtani put out a 2.87 ERA in 14 starts with a 1.04 WHIP and 62 strikeouts across 47 innings. Back in 2024, Ohtani went 23 total games with a 3.14 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 167 strikeouts in 132 innings.

We have seen nothing, including on Monday night, that leads us to expect Ohtani to stumble at any point. He could very well win the Cy Young in a best-case scenario. Ohtani is currently 30/1 to do so.

In the batter's box, Ohtani is struggling a bit this season. He has 22 plate appearances, where Ohtani is batting .200 with a .200 slugging percentage. Ohtani, however, does have 6 walks with a .455 on-base percentage. We will not worry about his average or sample size; overreacting is rash.

Ohtani is the No. 1 player in fantasy baseball, as well as the Batter No. 2 and the Starting Pitcher No. 29, when counted separately. After one week, Ohtani's pitching looks phenomenal, and his batting looks to be nothing to worry about. You have a gleaming star with the man from Japan.

How Many Games Will Shohei Ohtani Pitch?

The question posed is very important. As a two-way player, Ohtani is not expected to pitch 30+ games as a healthy starter generally would. The Dodgers currently plan for Ohtani to start about 25 total games. When he may be set to be decided, but he will miss time here and there for player conservation.

Ohtani is slated to start every 6-7 days, rather than the common 5-day rest schedule for pitchers. That makes his next start uncertain. He can play as soon as April 6 against the Blue Jays, or as late as April 8 or even April 10, after a Thursday off. Be sure to stay tightly ingrained in the Ohtani pitching schedule every week.