Max Muncy, the Los Angeles Dodgers' third baseman, has high expectations for Shohei Ohtani this season, predicting that the two-way phenom will be a contender for the NL Cy Young Award.
Ohtani kicked off his 2026 season with a stellar performance against the Cleveland Guardians, allowing just one hit over six innings, striking out six, and keeping a clean sheet. This outing extended his scoreless streak to 22.2 innings, dating back to the 2025 regular season-a personal best for him.
Muncy, who also shined in the Dodgers’ victory with a home run and a two-hit game, believes Ohtani is poised for greatness. "I expect nothing short of almost a Cy Young out of him," Muncy stated confidently.
Ohtani came close to capturing the Cy Young in the past, finishing fourth in the AL Cy Young race in 2022 with an impressive 2.33 ERA over 166 innings. But according to his teammates, Ohtani is aiming even higher this year. Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing remarked during spring training, "He wants a Cy Young, and you can tell with the way he’s carrying himself here recently."
Ohtani's journey back to the mound began on June 16, 2025, against the San Diego Padres, following a lengthy recovery from Tommy John surgery. In his comeback season, he made 14 appearances, pitching 47 innings with 62 strikeouts and a 2.87 ERA-his second-best career mark.
In the postseason, Ohtani's performance was nothing short of electric. He delivered a standout game in the NLCS against the Milwaukee Brewers, striking out 10 batters in six scoreless innings and hitting three home runs, earning him the NLCS MVP award.
As for his Cy Young prospects this year, FanGraphs’ Cy Young Projection formula places Ohtani sixth in the NL with 4.6 Cy Young Points (CYP). He trails behind Cristopher Sanchez, Sandy Alcantara, Randy Vasquez, Landon Roupp, and Chris Sale. To clinch the award, Ohtani will need to continue delivering top-tier performances as the Dodgers chase their third consecutive World Series title in 2026.