Shohei Ohtani Crowned NL MVP
Shohei Ohtani was awarded the National League Most Valuable Player (MVP) on Thursday, obtaining all 30 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA). This recognition comes after an impressive offensive season, marked by his successful return to pitching and culminating in a championship. Kyle Schwarber, designated hitter for the Philadelphia Phillies, received 23 votes for second place. Juan Soto, outfielder for the New York Mets, and Geraldo Perdomo, shortstop for the Arizona Diamondbacks, accumulated the rest of the votes. Ohtani has won four MVP awards in the last five years, all unanimously. Only Barry Bonds surpasses this record, with seven.Ohtani, 31, had already tied Frank Robinson as the only players to win the MVP in both leagues and is the only player in the four major American professional leagues with more than one unanimous MVP. In addition, he became the first player in MLB, NBA, NHL and NFL history to win both an MVP and a championship in his first two seasons with a team, according to research data. Ohtani joined the Los Angeles Dodgers in December 2023 with a 10-year, $700 million contract, with deferred payments. He led the team as the primary hitter towards the World Series title in 2024, becoming the first full-time designated hitter to win an MVP. In 2025, Ohtani maintained his offensive impact, with a batting average of .282/.392/.622 and 55 home runs, setting a franchise record for the second consecutive year and leading the National League with an adjusted OPS of 179. To this was added his return to pitching, after recovering from a second surgery on the ulnar collateral ligament, making 14 starts in the regular season for the Dodgers, with an ERA of 2.87 and 62 strikeouts in 47 innings, including 16⅔ consecutive innings without allowing runs at the end of the regular season. In October, he cemented his legacy as the best player in the game. Leading the Dodgers to their second consecutive pennant in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series, Ohtani pitched six scoreless innings, striking out 10, and hit three home runs. In Game 3 of the World Series, which went to 18 innings, he reached base in nine of his at-bats, four by intentional walk. In total, he hit eight home runs in the playoffs, tying Corey Seager in 2020 for the franchise record in a single postseason. Since the beginning of 2021, when he began his career as a two-way player with the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani has accumulated 44.4 wins above replacement (WAR), leading the league. Aaron Judge, outfielder for the New York Yankees, is close behind with 42.8. Ohtani, with only two seasons with the Dodgers, is already the first in franchise history to win multiple MVP awards while playing for the team. After six years without participating in the postseason with the Angels, Ohtani expressed his pride in the consecutive championships.It’s definitely special. It makes it even more special because it was unanimous, and I want to thank all the writers for voting for me.
Shohei Ohtani
Obviously, I never strive to start a season with the goal of getting the MVP. It’s all about your teammates, and obviously you want to play good baseball. At the end of the day, we want to play for a World Series. I think the MVP just comes with what you do during the season. Obviously, if I play well, as an individual, that means I’m helping the team win. So, in that sense, I hope I can end up with a few more MVPs. But at the end of the day, it’s all about winning games.
Shohei Ohtani
