Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani could bring home new award in 2026

Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani is likely to win his fourth consecutive MVP Award this season. However, he could add another award to his trophy case this season.

Ohtani is in the midst of arguably his best season as a pitcher. He entered Friday with a 1.06 ERA and a 0.842 WHIP over his 67.2 innings, striking out 73 batters with 21 walks. Opponents have mustered a meager .154/.238/.235 batting line against Ohtani over 262 plate appearances.

That performance has made its mark on the WAR leaderboards as well. Ohtani has been worth 2.7 fWAR with the bat, but has been nearly as valuable on the mound at 2.2 fWAR, tying him for eighth among major league pitchers. By any metric, Ohtani is building a solid case for the NL Cy Young Award.

Shohei Ohtani could add missing Cy Young Award with a strong second half

While Ohtani has been a solid pitcher when he has been healthy enough to take the mound, he has only garnered consideration for the Cy Young Award once in his career. He finished fourth in the 2022 AL vote after posting a 2.33 ERA and a 1.012 WHiP over a career-high 166 innings, striking out 219 batters with 44 walks. 

Ohtani will have plenty of competition for the award. Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sanchez and Milwaukee Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski are likely the prohibitive favorites. Pirates ace Paul Skenes and Cincinnati Reds youngster Chase Burns are having impressive seasons as well. However, none of those players are in their team's lineup virtually every day. If Sanchez and Misiorowski falter, Ohtani could land the one major award he is missing.