GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani is a five-time All-Star, a four-time Most Valuable Player, a two-time World Series winner and a World Baseball Classic champion, giving him a sparkling baseball resume that no current player can touch.
The only major honor he hasn't won? A Cy Young Award.
Given his track record, it wouldn't be a surprise to see the two-way Japanese star add that trophy to his collection in 2026.
“I think it’s fair to say he expects to be in the Cy Young conversation,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Friday. "We just want him to be healthy, make starts, and all the numbers and statistics will take care of themselves.
“But, man, this guy is such a disciplined worker and expects the most from himself.”
Just 105 days after the Dodgers became MLB's first back-to-back champs in a quarter century — beating the Toronto Blue Jays in a thrilling Game 7 — Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the rest of the team's pitchers and catchers went through their first spring training workout at Camelback Ranch on Friday.
Ohtani is expecting to be a full-time, two-way player for the first time since 2023. An elbow injury kept him off the mound for the 2024 season and he returned to pitching midway though last year, going 3-0 with a 4.43 ERA in the postseason to help the Dodgers capture their second straight World Series title.
Roberts said an injury-free offseason — where he could focus on rest, recovery and strength — should make him even more formidable on the mound this season.
“He just looks strong, but not too much mass,” Roberts said. “Watching him throw, watching him run, his body is moving well. I think he's in a sweet spot.”
The 31-year-old Ohtani munched on breakfast and laughed with teammates in the clubhouse before his bullpen session, fully comfortable in what are now familiar surroundings. He's entering his third season with the franchise that has helped him blossom into the biggest baseball phenomenon in decades.
“I was finally able to have a normal offseason,” Ohtani said. “Although the offseason was pretty short, I thought it was a good thing.”
Ohtani said he arrived at Camelback Ranch at the beginning of the month and Friday's bullpen — which he said went well — was his third of the spring. The goal is to throw live batting practice next week before he leaves to join Team Japan in Tokyo, where it will be playing in the World Baseball Classic.
He won't be pitching for Japan in the WBC — focusing solely on his work at the plate.
Roberts said keeping Ohtani off the mound in the WBC was a collaborative decision that focused on his long-term health.
“As much as people think that he’s not human, he’s still a human being who has had two major surgeries,” Roberts said. “He’s got a long career ahead of him.”
The timeline and schedule of the WBC — Team Japan could be playing from March 6-17 on two different continents — makes Ohtani's preparation for the Dodgers' opening day game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on March 26 a challenge. Neither Roberts or Ohtani were sure what his throwing schedule would look like in Japan.
Roberts said he's sure Ohtani will want to be ready to pitch at the beginning of the season, but the team would be flexible.
“It's delicate,” Roberts said. “We'll know more in the next couple weeks and see where the progression is at. But for us, there's not going to be any timeline or endline or finish line where he has to be ready.”
The Dodgers enter the season as World Series favorites. They were big spenders on the free agent market once again, landing four-time All-Star outfielder Kyle Tucker on a $240 million, four-year deal that further exacerbated the divide between baseball's haves and have nots. Los Angeles also nabbed star reliever Edwin Díaz on a $69 million, three-year deal.
Díaz also threw a bullpen on Friday. He had a 1.63 ERA and 28 saves for the New York Mets last season.
“Guys are anxious,” Roberts said. “We've got a long camp, longer than we've had in recent years. We're trying to get guys to start slow and be intentional and methodical. That's kind of the message.”
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