It is possible in terms of numbers! Shohei Ohtani: Aiming for unprecedented “Cy Young Award & Home Run King” Wins Next Season!

Finally, another sword…

Shohei Ohtani, 30, who has reached the top of the world, will finally unleash his other sword next season.

On October 31, the Dodgers won the World Series against the Yankees and became the world’s top team for the eighth time in four years. For Ohtani, it was his seventh year in the majors.

On November 2, a victory parade was held in his hometown of Los Angeles. The Dodgers won the championship in New York, their enemy, so 250,000 fans gathered and rejoiced at the triumphant return of their heroes. Otani, along with his wife Mamiko and their dog, Dekopin, shared in the joy. Some people there were hoping for a second consecutive World Series victory. After all, next season Otani will be the first player since he moved to Japan to play two sports,” said a reporter who covered the event.

While fans are excited, Ohtani’s rehabilitation is going well; he entered the bullpen in September and has recorded a maximum speed of about 150 km/h. He is scheduled to pitch at Tokyo Dome next March. He is expected to pitch in the season opener next March at the Tokyo Dome.

The Cy Young Award is not a dream.

Otani will come back next season as a better pitcher. A Cy Young Award should not be a dream.

A U.S. media reporter who has covered the Dodgers for many years explains why.

It is said that major leaguers who underwent Tommy John surgery (or more precisely, hybrid surgery using artificial ligaments) in 2011, which Ohtani underwent, saw an average increase of 3 to 6 km/h in pitch velocity. This may be due to the effects of the weight training accumulated during rehabilitation or the revision of pitching form rather than the surgery itself, but there are many players in the majors who have improved their defensive efficiency from before the surgery. Perhaps Ohtani will hit 103 mph next year.

Blake Snell, 31, who won the Cy Young Award in the National League last year, is 14-9 with a 2.25 ERA. On the other hand, Ohtani’s best record as a pitcher was a 2.33 ERA and a 15-9 record in 2010.

These numbers show that Ohtani is already a Cy Young Award-winning pitcher. If his defensive numbers improve, as the reporter mentioned above, he will be that much closer to winning the award. This is not the only tailwind for Ohtani.

In his time with the Angels, Ohtani suffered from a poor batting lineup that gave him no support, and he lost many games that he could have won. However, with the Dodgers’ strong batting lineup, there is no need to worry about that. They will win a lot more games. It is possible that he will reach 20 wins, which no Japanese pitcher has ever achieved before.

The concern is that Ohtani’s performance as a hitter will decline due to his return to pitching.

It is true that the leaders may reduce the number of at-bats for Otani to recover from fatigue, but he will not be able to play in the National League this season. However, the second-highest homer ranking in the National League this season is 39. Ohtani has 54, so even if he reduces his home run count by 10, he is still the leading candidate for the home run king.

Otani led his team to the world championship this season and won all the batting titles. Next year, he will take the majors by storm as a resurgent two-way hitter.

From the November 22/29, 2024 issue of “FRIDAY