Prior looking forward to seeing 'full version of Shohei' in 2026
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Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior is excited to see what he’s calling a “full version” of Shohei Ohtani in 2026.
“Last year, it was obviously a very unique year,” Prior said during Friday’s edition of Dodgers Territory. “He was coming off Tommy John, and then he had the shoulder injury on the non-throwing arm. This year, a full version.”
We last saw a "full version" of Ohtani in 2023, when the two-way superstar was still with the Angels. That year, Ohtani hit 44 home runs with a 1.066 OPS while pitching to a 3.14 ERA across 23 starts before tearing the UCL in his right elbow in August.
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Ohtani returned to the mound on June 16 following a 22-month absence from pitching at the big league level. He essentially completed his rehab in the Majors, progressing from one-inning stints to a typical starter’s workload in the postseason. In total, Ohtani pitched to a 2.87 ERA in 47 innings across 14 regular-season starts.
In October, Ohtani displayed his two-way brilliance. The four-time MVP made four starts -- even earning the nod in Game 7 of the World Series -- and also authored one of the greatest single-game performances in baseball history in Game 4 of the NLCS. Ohtani single-handedly eliminated the Brewers, tossing six scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts while launching three home runs.
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“It’s going to be fun to watch him,” Prior said.
Ohtani will play for Japan in this year’s World Baseball Classic, though he will not pitch. Right now, according to Prior, Ohtani is throwing bullpen sessions, and the team hopes to have him face live hitters before he leaves for the WBC.
“The fun part about Sho is, as long as he knows when he’s pitching, he’ll pitch whenever,” Prior said. “If it’s six days’ rest, if it’s eight days’ rest, if it’s three days’ rest -- he’s willing to do what he needs to do to help this club win ballgames.”
Ohtani has certainly done plenty of that since joining the Dodgers prior to the 2024 season. L.A. Is looking to become baseball’s first three-peat since the Yankees in 1998-2000, and it will have a full version of Ohtani to lead the way.