Shohei Ohtani’s Historic MLB Season to be even more Legendary, as MLB Executives Name National League MVP despite…..
Ohtani has the luxury of not having to play defense — he’s not pitching this season after having elbow surgery last year — but it would be irrational to not vote Ohtani as MVP for his history-making campaign. It’s the same argument that aided Judge in 2022, when he hit an AL-record 62 home runs to earn MVP honors over Ohtani’s monster two-way season of 34 home runs and 219 strikeouts.
Also, not even Wins Above Replacement gives Lindor a clear edge over Ohtani. Entering Tuesday’s games, FanGraphs rates Lindor (7.2) over Ohtani (6.9), but Baseball-Reference has Ohtani (7.3) ahead of Lindor (6.4).
No. 47! 🏃♂️
Shohei Ohtani is now three away from 50 SB! pic.twitter.com/4SnmY6IwxC
— MLB (@MLB) September 10, 2024
It can be reasoned that Lindor is more valuable to the Mets than Ohtani is to the Dodgers, but even that argument isn’t so iron-clad.
L.A., despite its $1 billion upgrades last offseason, has been ravaged by injuries, namely the starting rotation. Mookie Betts missed two months with a broken hand, too. The Dodgers have needed Ohtani’s bat (and speed) to hold off the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres in the NL West race.
The Mets have had a wonderful season, having reversed their fortunes behind the Grimace effect, and they should return to the postseason for the first time since 2022.
Shohei Ohtani’s 2024 season is already historic. No player in Major League Baseball history has ever reached the levels of power and speed with his 46 home runs, best in the National League, and 47 stolen bases, second only in the majors to Cincinnati Reds star Elly De La Cruz’s 64 swipes.
Ohtani is not content. He’s not settling. The Los Angeles Dodgers star designated hitter is pushing for numbers that would stand alone in baseball lore — 50-50 — with 50 homers and 50 steals.
If he hits four more home runs and steals three more bases, the 30-year-old baseball unicorn will be the charter member of a club that may remain singularly exclusive. And even if he doesn’t achieve 50-50, the $700 million man has already produced dividends beyond the Dodgers braintrust’s wildest dreams with production at the plate and on the base paths once thought to be unattainable.
“He’s very goal-oriented,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Ohtani. “He likes to take down records.”
Going into Wednesday’s series finale against the visiting Chicago Cubs, Ohtani has 17 games left to achieve a 50-50 campaign. Two days ago, FanGraphs listed his chances at 61.3 percent.
Ohtani isn’t chasing history in vain. L.A. needs him to keep clubbing home runs and stealing bases just to make the postseason.
At 86-59, the Dodgers are only a game behind the Philadelphia Phillies for MLB’s best record (and home-field advantage in the playoffs), but they hold tenuous leads in the NL West of just 4 1/2 games over the San Diego Padres and five games over the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The close proximity of their division rivals, compounded by the Dodgers’ ongoing injury issues, bolsters Ohtani’s case for NL MVP over New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor.
In becoming the sixth member of MLB’s 40-40 club, Ohtani made history as the fastest player to reach 40 home runs and 40 steals, needing only 126 games. However, his season — as well as the Dodgers’ — will be defined by how he and his team perform in the postseason. With the club’s $1 billion roster upgrade last offseason, it is World Series title or bust for L.A.
Individually, there’s more that Ohtani can do for an encore in 2025. Sounds crazy? Actually, no it’s not.
Next year, Ohtani should be sufficiently recovered from elbow surgery, so the right-hander will finally get to pitch for the Dodgers.
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