Joey Votto pinpoints the exact pitches behind Shohei Ohtani's 2026 slump

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May 16, 2026 - 19:08

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Joey Votto pinpoints the exact pitches behind Shohei Ohtani's 2026 slump originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Joey Votto expects a massive breakout from Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani, dismissing any panic over his early-season offensive slump as a simple, fixable technical glitch.

Appearing on MLB Network's MLB Now, the former MVP broke down Ohtani's mechanics to explain why elite production is right around the corner.

What Joey Votto sees at the plate

Votto identified that Ohtani's primary issue is an approach error, rather than a physical decline or deep mechanical flaw.

Ohtani is suffering from what Votto calls a "slight targeting issue."

"There's absolutely nothing going on other than a slight targeting issue..."@JoeyVotto describes what he's seeing during Shohei Ohtani's at-bats and explains what could be keeping him from elite production. pic.twitter.com/kzvOwi4cPK— MLB Now (@MLBNow) May 15, 2026

He is currently letting his targeting get "a bit too close to him," making him overly eager on pitches at the top and outside portions of the strike zone.

Once Ohtani makes a small adjustment to dominate and own the "up-and-away" and "middle-up" pitches, he will let the ball get deeper into the zone.

At his very best, Ohtani's strength is his ability to "back the ball up" in his swing and drive it to the opposite field. Right now, he is just ever-so-slightly mistiming that point of contact.

Despite Ohtani carrying a relatively low .240 batting average through 39 games, Votto remains highly optimistic.

Ohtani maintains an elite walk rate. Votto noted, "If he wasn't walking... I would be more concerned."

Because of his solid on-base foundation, Votto believes Ohtani is just "one game away" from pushing his slugging percentage back up and entering .950 to 1.000 OPS territory.

Votto suggested that balancing his return to elite pitching, where he leads the Majors with a 0.82 ERA, might contribute to the early timing adjustment.

Votto summarized his thoughts with ultimate confidence, telling fans that a legendary stretch is imminent: "It’s gonna be a blast to watch from May 15 to the end of the year... It’s not possible for him to fail."

If Votto’s prediction proves correct, the Dodgers could soon watch Ohtani turn another slow start into an unforgettable summer run.