MLB Analyst Casts Heavy Doubts Whether Shohei Ohtani Can Sustain His Cy Young Bid

Shohei Ohtani (Image Credits: Imagn)

MLB Analyst Casts Heavy Doubts Whether Shohei Ohtani Can Sustain His Cy Young Bid

Originally posted on Total Pro Sports
By Paranjoy Goswami | Last updated May 4, 2026 10:31 AM ET

Shohei Ohtani clinched the World Series crown in each of his first two seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The two-way superstar also became a two-time MVP in the National League, adding to his two MVP titles in the American League. Ohtani is aiming for a Cy Young Award this year in his first full season as a starting pitcher for the Dodgers.

MLB analyst Steve Phillips has serious questions about whether Shohei Ohtani will indeed turn out to be a contender for the NL Cy Young Award at the end of the year. He doubts if Ohtani will make enough starts to register an adequate number of innings over the course of the regular season to challenge for the title as a starting pitcher.

“Will he accumulate enough innings? Will he be a qualified starting pitcher? When you think about it, he can make 30 starts, and he’d need 162.0 innings pitched for that,” Phillips said on MLB Network. “28 starts is going to need 7.0 innings per start. I don’t know if he can get there with 28 starts. I don’t know if he’s going to get to 30.”

It's only May, but does Shohei Ohtani have a real chance to win the NL Cy Young Award?

“It would make a great story… the question is will he accumulate enough innings [to qualify]?” – @StevePhillipsGM pic.twitter.com/n93ks5N7ln
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) May 3, 2026

Ohtani has five starts for the Los Angeles Dodgers so far this season, logging 6.0 innings in each outing. Meanwhile, a pitcher requires 1.0 inning per team game played, i.e., 162.0 innings over the regular season to qualify for the ERA title. That is the unofficial benchmark for a starting pitcher to become a contender for the Cy Young Award.

Baseball Writers Back Shohei Ohtani for Cy Young Glory

Steve Phillips believes Shohei Ohtani will become the favorite to win the Cy Young Award in the National League if he qualifies for the honor. He feels the BBWAA will vote heavily in his favor to mark a historic moment in MLB.

Shohei Ohtani (Image Credits: Imagn)

“It’s a great story,” Phillips said. “So writers are going to vote for the Cy Young. And it would make a great story for them to do to be able to do it.”

Ohtani did not pitch during his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024 after undergoing elbow surgery the previous year. He made his return to the mound last summer before joining the Dodgers’ rotation for the postseason.

This article first appeared on Total Pro Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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