Shohei the Slugger or Shohei the Ace? Dodgers Nation Makes Its Choice

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.

Commenter @XLoneLeeX echoed that thought but left the door open to reconsider if the situation changes.

“Can’t really answer that because it all depends on how the rest of the team is doing,” they wrote. “Offense hasn’t been there consistently, including his. Team pitching has been great [but that could] change as the year progresses. I picked hitting but that may change later on if team pitching dips.”

“Hitter but the big if is that Wrobleski has to be the stud he’s been and rest of rotation stays healthy,” added @dahatch14.

“Considering his production last 2 yrs as a hitter.. its a no brainer,” wrote @fakethug7.

Others, though, noted that Ohtani the hitter is relatively underperforming so far this year, though the pitcher remains dominant.

“Right now? He’s more valuable as a pitcher,” said @CBelli_Lover35.

“When you look at the lineup they have, the offense has the ability to score top to bottom, with the bullpen we have, I would say they need pitchers to go deep into the game,” said @0331KSR. “For me his pitching is more valuable.”

Dodgers looking to separate Ohtani’s pitching from hitting

With Ohtani more frequently not hitting on days that he’s pitching, perhaps both sides of him will be able to shine.

“I’m ready to concede if they’re all in on Shohei making 25-30 starts, this is something they should just do permanently and have Dalton Rushing DH,” McKain said.

Dodgers Nation strongly suggested that while that may be a useful plan for now, he should play as often as possible in the playoffs.

After all, it was in the National League Championship Series that Ohtani had what may be the greatest game of all time: three home runs at the plate, 10 strikeouts in six shutout innings on the mound.

What do you think? Should Shohei Ohtani hit and pitch on the same day?