Shohei the Slugger or Shohei the Ace? Dodgers Nation Makes Its Choice
Is Shohei Ohtani more valuable as a hitter or a pitcher? We polled Dodgers Nation to see if fans prefer the 50/50 slugger or the ace with a 0.60 ERA.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have two superstars in one in Shohei Ohtani. He’s both an excellent offensive player — first ever player with 50 home runs and 50 steals in the same season, back-to-back 50-plus home run seasons — and also has an ERA of 0. 60 , which could lead the National League following tonight’s game.
The benefit for the Dodgers, of course, is that Ohtani does both while taking up only one roster spot — much to the chagrin of others in baseball . Mar 24, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) on deck in the fourth against the Los Angeles Angels at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Recently, though, manager Dave Roberts has indicated that Ohtani is likely to continue to stay out of the batting order on days in which he starts on the mound.
That got us at Dodgers Nation thinking: Which is more valuable, Ohtani the hitter or Ohtani the pitcher? We asked, and you answered . Dodgers Nation prefers Shohei the Slugger Four hours into voting, Ohtani the hitter had a commanding lead over Ohtani the pitcher, at about 63% to 37%.
“We have enough starters, we don’t have good bats of late,” wrote @tphyonpark . That’s a valid point. Though Dodgers Nation’s Doug McKain recently rated Ohtani the best pitcher so far in 2026 for the Boys in Blue, Tyler Glasnow, Justin Wrobleski and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are also strong starters, and Blake Snell is on the road to return as well.