(Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani is, once again, a finalist for the American League Most Valuable Player (MVP) award.
He already won it in 2021, and he is the heavy favorite to take it home for the second time this year.
MLB announced the group of finalists for the recognition, and Ohtani is joined by two World Series champions from the Texas Rangers.
“Your 2023 @officialBBWAA AL Most Valuable Player Award finalists: Shohei Ohtani, Corey Seager, Marcus Semien,” MLB tweeted.
Your 2023 @officialBBWAA AL Most Valuable Player Award finalists:
Shohei Ohtani
Corey Seager
Marcus Semien pic.twitter.com/eue5p6qL1V
— MLB (@MLB) November 7, 2023
While Ohtani is very likely to win, that doesn’t take anything away from what Seager and Semien did this year.
Seager will likely finish second and, in any other year without a unique, otherworldly talent like Ohtani, would be a favorite.
He slashed a cool .327/.390/.623 with 42 doubles, 33 home runs, and a 1.013 OPS.
Semien scored 122 times and hit 29 home runs, with 100 RBI, 40 doubles, and a .826 OPS.
Seager, in particular, also had an impressive postseason and won World Series MVP, but those achievements don’t count for the award.
Ohtani, however, made history with his two-way excellence.
He posted a 3.14 ERA and struck out 167 hitters as a pitcher, and had 44 home runs with a 1.066 OPS as a designated hitter.
In other words, he was both an ace and a top middle-of-the-order masher while occupying just one spot on the roster.
Ohtani is scheduled to test the market and will, in all likelihood, set a record for the largest contract in baseball, even if he is not expected to pitch at all in the 2024 season.
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