Shohei Ohtani has finally been playing the way he’s meant to—in his true two-way form. For over a year, he had been limited only to hitting while recovering from his second Tommy John Surgery. At the plate, of course, he has been exceptional, leading the NL with 31 home runs and a .998 OPS. All that’s missing is the length of his outing as a pitcher.

Understandably, Dave Roberts wanted to reduce Ohtani’s workload. Across four starts, he was limited to a single inning in two, while in the other two, he pitched for two innings. And over those six innings, he allowed only one run on four hits with one walk and six strikeouts.

Every time he takes over the mound, one question echoes in the background: When exactly will Ohtani pitch long enough to qualify for a win as a starting pitcher?

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According to Roberts, “If you look at where he’s at now with the calendar, I think that him getting to five or six innings is certainly feasible.” He further added, “Don’t know when that’s going to be, but I can see a natural progression.” Although Roberts can’t help us with the timeline as of now, the signs of progress are showing.

For all that matters, Ohtani is also on board with this. “There are times when I may be able to go another inning, but it’s really important to not take unnecessary risk and make sure that I can progress consistently. … So I’m following what the team is also asking me as well.” If Ohtani actually gives the team 5-6 innings, it could turn out really helpful for the beleaguered staff.

Throughout the postseason runs in recent history, that has always been a lingering concern. Being heavily dependent on the bullpen for long is a tough ask. And it certainly won’t work this time, as it’s not sustainable. So, for now, the fully operational two-way phenomenon is a work in progress, but the signs have been overall positive.

What would happen if Shohei Ohtani became a full-time pitcher?

John Smoltz, a Hall of Famer, recently made an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show. He used the opportunity to share his take on Shohei Ohtani, and before you know it, the conversation sparked plenty of theories.

According to Smoltz, if Ohtani decided to become a full-time pitcher for an entire season, he’d lead the league as the best pitcher in all of baseball. “If he never hits for one year and just pitches, he’ll be the best pitcher in baseball. Period.” Further, he showed such confidence in this remark that it’s a universal fact.

And he had his reasons to back this claim up. During 2022, Ohtani pitched the entire season and recorded 166 innings and 219 strikeouts, and his fastball stood at 100 mph.

But the Dodgers might never ask him to give up on hitting. He’s a two-way phenom for a reason. He’s been contributing well at the plate, and soon enough, he’ll continue to dominate on the mound as well.

Lately, the Dodgers have been struggling. They’ve lost six games back-to-back after being dominated by the Astros and the Brewers. Across the past ten games, the Dodgers have been outscored 44-10. One of the issues of why they’ve been slumping is their pitching front. Perhaps that’s what prompted Smoltz to claim those things about Ohtani.

What are your thoughts?