The show goes on! Unlike anything the game of baseball has seen since the days of Babe Ruth, two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani has transcended Major League Baseball to an international scale. Fresh off of swatting the fourth-most home runs in baseball a year ago, Ohtani could very well be on track for another monstrous summer at the plate.

Heading cross-town to be a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers after spending his first six years in the league with the Angels organization, the best player in baseball will don new threads in the summer of 2024. Not only does Ohtani's arrival to Chavez Ravine catapult the Dodgers to immediate consenting status, but the amount of eyes on LA from a global perspective is expected to be a colossal amount. With a total of 171 round-trippers next to his name since storming onto the scene back in 2018, does Ohtani have what it takes to deliver 39.5 baseballs into the stands by the time this summer is spent?

Here are the MLB Odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

MLB Odds: Shohei Ohtani Regular Season Home Runs Odds

Over 39.5 Home Runs: -113

Under 39.5 Home Runs: -113

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Why Shohei Ohtani Will Hit 39.5 Home Runs

For starters, the odds of Shohei Ohtani blasting at least  39.5 home runs into the atmosphere currently sits at -112. As expected, many bettors have already wagered upon this prop to hit and have trusted Ohtani with their cold, hard cash for good reason.

As previously mentioned, Ohtani's 44 home runs a year ago were the second-most he had hit while being in an Angels uniform. In fact, only the 2021 season saw Ohtani hit more baseballs into the bleachers as he was able to round the bases a whopping 46 times that year. When taking a deeper dive at Ohtani's metrics, his power at the dish could be second to no one. Of course, while hitting the over with at least 40 home runs is no easy task by any means, Ohtani's new scenery at Dodger Stadium could be just what the doctor ordered. Although Dodger Stadium isn't known to be a hitter-friendly park compared to other places around the league, don't put anything past this dynamic slugger who has the ability to hit any baseball to the moon.

Above all else, the biggest reason why Ohtani has a terrific chance to hit the over in this category is due to him coming off the fewest at-bats recorded per home run mark of his career. Believe it or not, but “Sho-Time” was able to smash a home run at a career-best rate of 11.3 at-bats last summer. Considering that Ohtani stays dedicated to his craft and continues tormenting opposing pitching with his power stroke, then this prop will easily hit.

Why Shohei Ohtani Won't Hit 39.5 Home Runs

Let's just face the facts. This will not be a popular prop from now up until the first pitch of the regular season, but crazier things have happened!

For more than three seasons now, the once pitcher-friendly Angels Stadium has turned on its face into a hitter's dream. Indeed, Ohtani benefited largely in this sense after playing half of his games each year at Angels Stadium. Since this beautiful backdrop will no longer be available for Shohei, some analysts and experts are concerned that Ohtani's power may take a step back in the harder to hit air of Dodger Stadium. Remember, Ohtani's new playground has seen a whopping 13 no-hitters and even a pair of perfect games since it was constructed way back in 1962.

All in all, there is a slight chance that Ohtani will revert back to his 2022 statistics in which he smacked 34 home runs in 586 at-bats. While these types of numbers are still elite, that type of campaign won't be good enough to hit the 39.5 home runs that Vegas currently has set for Ohtani. While there's always the chance that Ohtani could deal with some injury issues for the first time in his career (knock on wood), these are some of the few reasons why Ohtani may end up struggling to bash 40 home runs during the 2024 season.

Final Shohei Ohtani Over/Under Regular Season Home Runs

As long as Shotime avoids disastrous spells on the Injured List and finds himself thriving within the heart of the Dodgers' terrifying lineup, then Ohtani should easily net his third 40+ home-run season of his young career. Bafflingly enough, Ohtani has yet to turn 30 years old, and his legacy should only continue to grow with each passing game. Who knows, the Japanese phenom could go down as one of the all-time greats when he finally decides to hang up the cleats!

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Final Shohei Ohtani Over/Under Regular Season Home Runs: Over 39.5 Home Runs