Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani having 'greatest season ever' not impossible, but incredibly unlikely

The Los Angeles Dodgers have the best chances to win the 2026 World Series. Their roster is incredible top-to-bottom, and it's led by Shohei Ohtani.

And Ohtani is going to be even more impactful this upcoming season, as for the first time in a Dodgers uniform, he's going to come into a season as a full-time starting pitcher.

ESPN's David Schoenfield pondered if Ohtani could have the "greatest season ever," which would involve Ohtani hitting 50 home runs and winning 20 games. But, while not impossible for Ohtani, Schoenfield believes he will "probably not" have such a year.

Shohei Ohtani will 'probably not' have 'greatest season ever' with 50 HR, 20 wins

While Schoenfield doesn't see Ohtani reaching 50 home runs as much of a surprise, especially considering he's done that a few times before in his career already, the big issue is the pitching wins.

"The Dodgers are still going to be careful with him and will want him ready for October, so 26 starts feel like the absolute max he'll make," Schoenfield writes. "Cy Young? Perhaps. Twenty wins? Probably not."

Reaching 20 wins in a season is incredibly difficult, and for Ohtani, who's going to be starting fewer games than other pitchers, reaching such a goal will be a whole lot more challenging.

Schoenfield doesn't believe this "greatest season ever" with 50 home runs as a hitter and 20 wins as a pitcher is realistic for Ohtani this upcoming season.

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Ohtani is one of the best players in baseball and is already well on his way to the Hall of Fame. He has four MVPs and is coming off his second-straight season with at least 54 homers.

His previous high win-total came back in 2022, when he had 15 wins across 28 starts. If Schoenfield's projection for 26 starts hits, Ohtani will have to beat his previous high win total by five wins in two fewer starts.

If Ohtani could have such a year, it would be the unquestioned best individual season by a player in MLB history. Hitting 50 homers and winning 20 games as a pitcher are among the best individual feats a player can accomplish.

One player accomplishing both in a career, let alone the same season, would be an incredible feat. Ohtani is the only player who can do such a thing in MLB, but even Schoenfield doesn't have much belief in Ohtani having this kind of season.

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