Shohei Ohtani's pitching receives respect he deserves from MLB Network

Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani is obviously a player we've never seen before with his ability to hit and pitch at such an elite level. He'd be an all-star if he just did one, having the ability to do both is what makes him Shohei Ohtani and the best player in baseball.

Ohtani had a great year with the bat in 2022 but he was even better on the mound, pitching like one of the best pitchers in baseball. Ohtani was snubbed as a Cy Young finalist and finished fourth in the balloting.

MLB Network posted their top ten starting pitchers right now and Shohei Ohtani got the respect he deserved.

Shohei Ohtani is ranked as the sixth-best pitcher in baseball according to MLB Network.

Shohei Ohtani went 15-9 with a 2.33 ERA in 28 starts and 166 innings pitched. He led the league strking out 11.9 batters per nine while walking just 2.4/9. The Angels were 16-12 in games he started despite finishing 16 games under .500.

Ohtani did not deserve to win the Cy Young Award over Justin Verlander but he was better than Alek Manoah who was a finalist and was arguably better than Dylan Cease, the other finalist, as well.

Ohtani is ranked behind Corbin Burnes, Verlander, Carlos Rodon, Max Scherzer, and Sandy Alcantara. I think it's fair to have any of those pitchers and also Jacob deGrom who was ranked as the ninth-best in the game, ahead of him.

It's easy to think of Ohtani the complete player without isolating just how good he is at the plate and especially on the mound. Shohei Ohtani the pitcher is definitely in the top ten and MLB Network ranking him as the sixth-best pitcher gives him the respect he's earned based on his performance.

With another good year and the fact that he'll pitch more thanks to the Angels using him every sixth day instead of sixth game, Ohtani could easily add a Cy Young to his mantle.