Shohei Ohtani continues to put together an out-of-this-world season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. While all signs point to him taking home another MVP award, the burning question now is whether he can also capture the National League Cy Young. However, former MLB catcher AJ Pierzynski remains unconvinced that the Japanese superstar will pull off the pitching milestone in 2026.
“I still don’t think he’s going to win the Cy Young,” Pierzynski said on Foul Territory. “I think that there’s too much competition in the National League this year. I don’t think he’s gonna end up with enough innings.”
While Ohtani has been virtually untouchable on the mound, his situation remains completely different from standard starting pitchers due to his dual-threat role as both a pitcher and a hitter. The Dodgers phenom currently boasts a staggering 0.82 ERA across nine starts alongside 61 strikeouts—numbers that firmly cement him among the most dominant arms in all of Major League Baseball.
Despite the dominance, Pierzynski believes other pitchers have a stronger case for the award. He specifically highlighted Cristopher Sánchez, who did not allow a single run during the entire month of May, while also naming Chris Sale and young sensation Paul Skenes as heavy hitters in the Cy Young race.
“I mean yeah, it’s amazing what Ohtani is doing, but did you see what Cristopher Sanchez did in May? He didn’t give up a run the whole month of May,” Pierzynski continued. “Chris Sale is right there. We know (Paul) Skenes is gonna figure it out at some point… Is he (Ohtani) going to win the MVP? Yes.”
The ultimate question mark surrounding Ohtani continues to be the total number of innings the Dodgers will allow him to throw. The Los Angeles organization must meticulously manage his workload to mitigate injury risks, especially considering the massive, irreplaceable impact he provides to their offense.
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