The Los Angeles Dodgers are once again the winners of the National League West division. While it is not especially surprising, the reality of the situation is that the Dodgers endured some uncertainty this season. Shohei Ohtani is currently injured, while a number of starting pitchers have also missed time due to injury. One pitcher who has been available and extremely consistent on the mound is Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
The National League has seen some elite performances from pitchers this year. Jacob Misiorowski is on track to win the NL Cy Young Award, while starters such as Chris Sale and Cristopher Sanchez have also pitched well. At times, Yamamoto's stellar performance has been overlooked.
Calling him underrated may be unrealistic. Most of the MLB world understands how good Yamamoto is on the mound. The problem is he hasn't received nearly enough attention despite pitching in one of the biggest markets in baseball.
Perhaps it's because he isn't throwing 104 MPH like Misiorowski. Maybe it's because there are so many other stars on the Dodgers it can become easy to overlook some of their better players. Or, it may simply be a case of Dodgers fatigue overall, as fans could want to focus on other teams and stars.
Regardless of the reason, what Yoshinobu Yamamoto has accomplished this season should not be underappreciated.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto's stellar 2026 season
Yamamoto, 28, is fifth in all of MLB with a 2.51 ERA so far during the '26 campaign. His 0.87 WHIP is second in the sport while he is third in opponents batting average with a mark of .180.
One of the reasons Yamamoto's greatness may not be receiving as much attention is due to his lack of a jaw-dropping amount of strikeouts. Yamamoto has recorded 178 strikeouts, which is a respectable mark at this point in the year. Yet, that ranks just 17th in the league. Misiorowski leads the league with 243 strikeouts, while Dylan Cease (236) and Gavin Williams (235) are second and third overall.
Still, it isn't as if Yamamoto is finding success without punching hitters out. He just isn't doing it as often as some of the best power pitchers around the league. He is in the 75th percentile in strikeout percentage.
One thing Yamamoto does especially well is limit walks. He ranks in the 89th percentile in walk percentage.
Article Continues BelowThe numbers are great, but Yamamoto's availability is also one of his greatest strengths.
Where would Dodgers be without Yamamoto?
It is difficult to question where this Dodgers ball club would be without specific star players since the roster is so deep. When it comes to Yamamoto this season, though, it is a valid question.
Yamamoto leads the Dodgers starting rotation with 27 starts. Only three other pitchers have more than 20 starts on the roster, as Roki Sasaki has 23 starts and Emmet Sheehan and Justin Wrobleski have both started 22 games.
Yamamoto is among the Dodgers best starters. In fact, he's probably the best pitcher on the team. The other star pitchers have not been available on a consistent basis.
Ohtani has made 14 starts while Tyler Glasnow has appeared in just 11 games and Blake Snell has started eight contests. Of course, Tarik Skubal only has eight starts with the Dodgers as well, but his situation is different since he was acquired in a trade before the deadline in early August.
So, where would the Dodgers be without Yoshinobu Yamamoto? It's a fair assessment to say that the rotation would have legitimate uncertainty. According to FanGraphs, Yamamoto is second in WAR (wins above replacement) on the Dodgers at 4.7. He is the only full-time pitcher among the Dodgers' top five WAR leaders. Ohtani leads the way while Max Muncy, Andy Pages and Freddie Freeman rank No. 3 to No. 5 overall.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto may not win the NL Cy Young, but he deserves far more attention than he has received.