The Los Angeles Dodgers are rolling, as their 38-21 record is good for first place in the National League West division. While injuries have made things a little bit more difficult than initially expected for the Dodgers, their outrageously deep roster is a big reason why they were favored to win the World Series for the third-straight year entering the season.
Per usual, two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani has played a big role in Los Angeles’ success. In a surprising change, though, Ohtani has actually been more productive on the mound than at the plate for the Dodgers to this point, and if you ask Hall of Famer John Smoltz, he believes that Ohtani is the current frontrunner for the National League Cy Young Award.
John Smoltz Gushes Over Shohei Ohtani
By now, Ohtani’s greatness is well known by baseball fans everywhere. He has won four MVP Awards over the past five years, and he’s helped the Dodgers win a pair of World Series championships in 2024 and 2025. Even without considering the fact that he’s also pitching, you could make an argument that Ohtani is the best player in the majors currently.
Thanks to a slew of injuries, Ohtani’s work on the mound had been fairly limited in 2024 and 2025. Now that he’s fully healthy, though, he’s proving that he’s also one of the best pitchers in the league. In nine starts for Los Angeles, Ohtani has been simply sensational (5-2, 0.82 ERA, 61 K, 0.82 WHIP), and he’s quickly emerged as one of the favorites for the NL Cy Young Award.
At this point, the Cy Young Award is really the only thing that Ohtani hasn’t won throughout his career, and he’s made it clear he would like to win it at least once during his time in the league. Smoltz knows how difficult it is to win a Cy Young Award, but he still managed to do it in the 1996 season with the Atlanta Braves. In an interview with SportsBoom, Smoltz said that he believes Ohtani has to be considered the favorite for the award right now.
“The Cy Young favorite right now to me is going to be Ohtani, just based on what he’s able to do and the team he’s playing for now,” Smoltz said. “Whether or not he gets the accumulated statistics and innings, that is yet to be determined … The issue is going to come down to individual award versus team accomplishments, and the Dodgers are going to have the luxury to rest guys more than likely at the end of the year, which may hurt individual awards.”
Shohei Ohtani Will Face Stiff Competition for NL Cy Young Award
GettyShohei Ohtani with the Los Angeles Dodgers
Ohtani has been excellent, and while Smoltz makes a great case for him to be the frontrunner for the award currently, that may not actually be true. Cristopher Sanchez of the Philadelphia Phillies is probably leading the pack currently, with Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates also expected to factor into the mix, even though he hasn’t looked like his usual self at times to begin the year.
If Ohtani can stay on the mound and continue pitching at this level, though, he may very well emerge from the pack as the clear frontrunner for the award. Given how many top-tier pitchers there are dominating the league right now, though, it’s tough to say that anyone is going to run away with this award. So while Ohtani is off to a great start, the level of competition he’s facing means that this could result in a season-long battle for the prestigious award.
Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani Draws Bold Cy Young Claim from Hall of Fame Pitcher