Shohei Ohtani's historic year may end in disappointment

Shohei Ohtani is having the kind of season that other players can only dream of having. The Los Angeles Dodgers star has continued to produce at an elite level at the plate while also inching his way back into a regular role on the mound. 

However, despite all of that success, there is a very real chance that when the season finally draws to a close, many fans will consider Ohtani's 2026 campaign a disappointment.

The dual threat has excellent stats

Entering the Dodgers' Tuesday matchup against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Ohtani was batting .294 with 63 hits, 10 home runs, 33 RBI, a .410 on-base percentage and a .929 OPS through his first 55 games.

On the mound, he has posted a 5-2 record with a 0.82 ERA and 61 strikeouts through 55 innings while limiting opposing hitters to a .147 batting average. If anyone other than Ohtani were having this kind of start, they would be considered to be having a career year. Ohtani, though, is not measured against other players. He is measured against himself. Besides, how do you top being the National League MVP Award winner like he was in 2025?

While he is still undoubtedly one of the best and most dangerous hitters in the game, Ohtani's home run numbers are not quite where he has been accustomed to having them. With 60 games in the books for the Dodgers, Ohtani had only managed 10 dingers. 

For virtually any other player in Major League Baseball, that would be a fantastic mark to put up. For a player who hit more than 50 home runs in back-to-back seasons, however, it's an eye-catching statistic.

Shohei Ohtani's offensive production is still elite

Despite not being on the same pace with his home runs that he has been in the past, Ohtani is still easily one of the most productive offensive players in baseball. He consistently makes an impact in every single game he plays, whether that is with an extra-base hit, his plate discipline or his ability to create scoring opportunities. 

Even when he does not hit the ball out of the park, opposing pitchers still have to take every at-bat against Ohtani very seriously because one bad pitch will likely end up in the deepest part of the stadium.

He is taking on both hitting and pitching responsibilities for the first time since undergoing his second major elbow procedure. This is not something that many players in baseball have ever done, and even fewer have been successful at it. It would be completely unsurprising if some of his offensive numbers were to drop slightly due to the stress of trying to increase his innings and get himself back into the mold of a true two-way player.

Perception can become reality

When all is said and done, if Ohtani's home run totals do not come anywhere close to the eye-popping marks that he achieved in his previous MVP seasons, there will be some who call his 2026 campaign a disappointment. They would not be right. 

They simply would not be able to look past the fact that their favorite player is a modern-day phenomenon, and even a dip in performance still equates to an incredible year that no other player in the game can replicate.