Shohei Ohtani On Track To Win National League MVP And Cy Young Awards

BusinessSportsMoneyShohei Ohtani On Track To Win National League MVP And Cy Young AwardsByBarry M. Bloom,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Boomskie on BaseballFollow AuthorMay 25, 2026, 08:51pm EDT--:-- / --:--This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more.IShohei Ohtani pitching for the Dodgers during a win over the Padres last Wednesday at San Diego. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)Getty ImagesI read a recent random list online of the top 20 all-time Major League Baseball players and my immediate reaction was why Shohei Ohtani wasn’t on the list.Ohtani’s only in his ninth season since coming over from Japan in 2018 and his career is nowhere near complete. But he’s already No. 1.Listen to comments made by Dodgers’ manager Dave Roberts last Wednesday night in San Diego after Ohtani’s latest start, five innings of shutout ball in a 4-0 win over the Padres: “I’m super conscious watching him that it’s something we’ve never seen before and may never see again. Particularly because he’s Japanese and the fanfare that comes with everything. Bake in the expectations. Yeah, I don’t think we’ll ever again see anything like this. I’m very confident in that.”As his manager, Roberts is certainly biased. But I’m not. I’ve always been very partial to Barry Bonds, Tony Gwynn, Mickey Mantle and Hank Aaron. Bonds, Gwynn and Mantle were the three best players I’ve ever seen – until Ohtani.What he’s done as a pitcher and designated hitter has never even been approached with apologies to Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Bonds and Aaron, all epic players taking up the top four spots on that list.Ruth is the only other one to pitch and hit early in his career on a much more limited basis than Ohtani. Mays did everything with aplomb. Bonds is the all-time leader with 762 career homers and 73 during the 2001 regular season. He also stole 514 bases. Aaron is the only player in hist...