Shohei Ohtani is far and away the best baseball player in the world. As an Atlanta Braves fan, I’m partial to Ronald Acuña Jr., but Ohtani could possibly be the most talented overall player of all-time. He has power that is only rivaled or eclipsed by Aaron Judge. He has speed that very few others have. He can throw 100 MPH from the mound. What more is there? In 2024 Ohtani put together one of…if not the greatest single fantasy season ever. The question now is…can he do it again in 2025?
Shohei Ohtani 2024 Production
Before his historic 2024 season, Ohtani was seen as the best player on a bad team. His Angels teams rarely competed for playoff bids. Over his final three seasons with the Angels, Ohtani became a pretty dominant force on the mound to go along with being one of the most feared hitters in the American League. During the 2023 season, he injured the UCL in his pitching elbow, but opted not to undergo Tommy John surgery. He signed with the Dodgers that offseason and then proceeded to put together a magnificent performance at the plate, while not pitching.
Ohtani was the best player in fantasy baseball in 2024 by a mile…by 10 miles even. Nobody had ever put up a 50-50 season in Major League Baseball prior to his ridiculous 54 homerun and 59 stolen base MVP campaign. Before last season, only Ronald Acuña Jr. had a 40-50 season. Acuña went 41-73 during his 2023 MVP season. Not only had Ohtani never reached 50 home runs in a season before, but he never had more than 26 stolen bases in a season before either.
He was far and away the highest fantasy producer, finishing well ahead of Aaron Judge, who finished well ahead of Bobby Witt Jr. Without knowing the scoring formats in your leagues, let’s just say Shohei Ohtani was the clear cut fantasy leader in 2024. His only downside last season was his position utilization. He was only playable as a UTIL or DH player in positional leagues since he did not play the field.
Shohei Ohtani 2025 Fantasy Outlook
Expected to resume pitching in 2025, Ohtani offers an added bonus to his already unmatched fantasy value. His .310/.390/1.036 slash line with 134 runs scored, 130 RBI, 54 home runs, and 59 stolen bases likely won’t be duplicated. However, he offers 15-18 win potential and over 200 strikeout capabilities as a starting pitcher.
The Dodgers have plenty of fire power around Ohtani, which should keep his RBI and runs scored totals near the top of the league. Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernandez, Will Smith, and Max Muncy are all high OBP and run producers, so look for Shohei to continue his torrid pace of driving in runs.
One number that likely will regress as he steps back on the mound will be his stolen bases. As stated earlier, his previous career high was 26 stolen bases in 2021. That was also his first season as a full time starting pitcher. Though the Dodgers have an incredibly deep starting rotation, they will probably limit his stolen base attempts in order to avoid unnecessary strain.
If his 2024 numbers take a hit in 2025, he still has nearly unequaled value. He is the unquestioned option to be drafted with the first overall selection in fantasy drafts. Even if he were to revert back to his 2023 numbers when he last pitched, Shohei Ohtani would still rule the roost and it wouldn’t be particularly close. Only three other players could sniff his rarified production. Aaron Judge, Bobby Witt Jr., and a healthy Ronald Acuña Jr. are all capable of putting together seasons that would normally be 1.01 worthy. However, as long as Shohei Ohtani is playing, he eclipses anything the others could do.
