It turns out Shohei Ohtani 'selling out' for Cy Young award is a dead Dodgers narrative

There are any number of Shohei Ohtani statistics I could show Los Angeles Dodgers fans to prove he's one of the best players in baseball history, if not the best. What Ohtani is doing is unprecedented, and he's accomplishing two-way greatness on the best team of his era. This fact alone is enough reason for the haters (as the kids would say) to cut him down.

For all of Ohtani's accolades, the one award he has yet to win is a Cy Young. Shohei has four MVPs to his name, but rarely throws enough innings to stand out on the mound among the best of his peers.

Take this season for example. Ohtani and Cristopher Sanchez are just two of the top pitchers in the running for NL Cy Young. As great as Ohtani has been, he's also thrown 25 less innings than Sanchez and has made three fewer starts. Thus, the idea that Ohtani is 'selling out' for the one major award he has yet to win doesn't make all that much sense. It also lacks substance when you consider Ohtani hasn't sacrificed anything at the plate.

Shohei Ohtani isn't selling out for an individual accomplishment

If Ohtani has made anything clear since joining the Dodgers, it's that individual accolades are secondary to him. Yes, the four MVPs look nice in his trophy case and will help his case as one of the greatest baseball players ever when he hangs up his cleats, but in reality he's merely doing everything he can to help his team win. And despite being on pace to make his most starts since 2023, Ohtani hasn't sacrificed much if anything offensively.

Ohtani's OPS is slightly lower this season than the previous three years, but that's thanks to Shohei's incredibly-high standards. For most players, an OPS north of .900, paired with a .419 on-base percentages, would be career highs. For Ohtani, those numbers barely scratch the surface.

The Dodgers have also made a concerted effort to get Ohtani more rest, which has led to some fans coming to the wrong conclusion of Shohei chasing individual greatness. In reality, giving Ohtani more rest helps the Dodgers chances in the long term. Remember: This team has played deep into October and early November two straight seasons. Add in the World Baseball Classic, which Ohtani thrived in for Japan, and his workload has been tested.

Will Shohei Ohtani win the NL Cy Young award?

Bad narratives aside, Dodgers fans are incredibly lucky to root for one of the best players in MLB history in the middle of his prime. The man has won most of the individual and team awards MLB has to offer to date, with a Cy Young notably missing from his mantle.

Ohtani came close in 2022, when he finished fourth after making a career-high 28 starts. The following season, Ohtani made 23 starts, and then underwent the second Tommy John surgery of his career. This is why the Dodgers have to be so careful.

For Ohtani to win a competitive NL Cy Young race, he'll need the innings of a Sanchez, Jacob Misiorowski or Paul Skenes, along with the counting stats. While his five earned runs in 61 innings pitched is incredibly impressive, he's due to fall behind some of the other favorites, all of whom don't have to worry about hitting on their off days.

If I were a betting man, I'd put money on the field, though that should not take anything away from Ohtani's greatness.

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