John Smoltz joins Ben Verlander for a full breakdown of the biggest storylines in MLB right now.

We dive deep into Shohei Ohtani’s Cy Young chances, how realistic is it for him to win one as a two-way superstar, and what would he need to do to take home the award?

Can Mason Miller actually win the Cy Young as a closer? Smoltz shares his Hall of Fame pitcher perspective on what it would take for a reliever to win the award for the first time since Eric Gagné in 2003.

Plus:
– Are the Braves legitimately back after their brutal 2025 season?
– The Mets’ early struggles, should we be worried?

Smoltz gives his unfiltered takes on all of it, including his thoughts on pitching dominance, team identity, and what stands out early in the 2026 season.

Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro
01:40 – John Smoltz joins the show
2:00 – Can Shohei win Cy Young?
8:28 – Can Mason Miller win Cy Young?
12:33 – Worried about the Mets?
15:59 – Are the Braves back?
18:11 – When will the Braves build a statue?
20:28 – Brewers baseball on display
23:47 – Outro

What do you think — can Ohtani win Cy Young this year? Could a closer like Mason Miller actually take home the award? Drop your thoughts in the comments!

SUBSCRIBE for weekly MLB conversations with John Smoltz and so much more: https://www.youtube.com/@FlippinBatsPod

#JohnSmoltz #ShoheiOhtani #MasonMiller #Braves #Mets #MLB #CyYoung #FlippinBats #baseball

Like Flippin’ Bats with Ben Verlander Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flippinbatspod/
Follow Flippin’ Bats with Ben Verlander on TikTok:

@flippinbatspod


Follow Flippin’ Bats with Ben Verlander on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@flippinbatspod
Follow Flippin’ Bats with Ben Verlander on Twitter: https://twitter.com/FlippinBatsPod
Follow Flippin’ Bats with Ben Verlander on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/flippinbatspod/

NIHON2020.COM