(Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
The Los Angeles Angels play in a tough AL West division.
Still, they are doing their best to stay afloat and compete for a spot in the postseason.
As of Monday afternoon, their record stands at 36-31, good enough for third in the division behind the Texas Rangers and the Houston Astros.
LA is 6.5 games behind the Rangers, who lead the West, but just 1.5 games out of the second spot occupied by the Astros.
Considering the talent in the division, things could be a lot worse.
They are still very much in contention thanks, in large part, to Shohei Ohtani’s recent form.
Don’t let Shohei get hot.
(MLB x @MattressFirm) pic.twitter.com/D4kE22f7bO
— MLB (@MLB) June 11, 2023
He has played nine games in June and already has four doubles and three home runs in the month, with eight RBI and a 1.172 OPS.
We all know what Ohtani is capable of with the stick: in 2021, the year in which he won the AL MVP, he knocked 46 balls out of the park and had a .965 OPS.
This year, he is up to 18 round-trippers and a .930 OPS.
It means he is very close to that 2021 pace that made him the unquestioned best player in the American League.
If we also add up his 3.32 ERA and 102 strikeouts as a pitcher in 76 innings, we have the leading candidate for the 2023 MVP award in his league.
It looked like New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge became the leader in the MVP race a couple of weeks ago, but he is already in the middle of his second stint on the injured list this season, this time with a toe injury.
It’s the perfect storm for Ohtani to run away with the award when all is said and done.
The post Shohei Ohtani Is Getting Hot At The Right Time appeared first on The Cold Wire.