"Over the past two years with the Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani has set himself apart as the best player in baseball, and has put himself into the GOAT conversation. Ohtani has won the last three MVP awards unanimously, and is one of two players to have ever won more than three - the other being Barry Bonds. He has a 1.025 OPS with the Dodgers, and has hit 109 homers over the past two seasons."
"The right-hander set himself apart as one of the best pitchers in baseball in 2025, posting a 2.49 ERA through 30 starts and striking out 200 batters for the first time in his career. He capped off a fantastic season with one of the most dominant postseason performances of all time, where he pitched six times and had a 1.45 ERA through 37.1 innings pitched."
"With Ohtani and Yamamoto on the roster, Team Japan is in a great position to win a second consecutive World Baseball Classic title."
The 2026 World Baseball Classic commences with Australia playing Chinese Taipei in the opening match. Nine Dodgers players participate in the tournament, with five currently on the MLB roster. Shohei Ohtani ranks as the top Dodger representative, having won three consecutive unanimous MVP awards and establishing himself as baseball's best player with a 1.025 OPS and 109 home runs over two seasons. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, the second-ranked Dodger, emerged as one of baseball's elite pitchers in 2025 with a 2.49 ERA and 200 strikeouts, delivering a dominant postseason performance including back-to-back perfect games. Clayton Kershaw represents Team USA but receives honorable mention status due to not being currently signed to the Dodgers. Team Japan appears positioned to contend for a second consecutive World Baseball Classic title.
Read at Dodgers Nation
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