Shohei Ohtani and MVP
- Makio Mukai
- 6 hours ago
- 6 min read
This year, Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Dodgers was selected as the 2025 National League MVP, unanimously so. As a huge Shohei Ohtani fan, I was thrilled by the result, but I was also surprised. I thought that while Shohei Ohtani might be selected, it wouldn't be a unanimous vote, and that it would be a close race between him and Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies. While Shohei Ohtani, a two-way player, led in metrics like OPS and WAR, he didn’t win any of the three major batting titles (batting average, home runs, RBIs) or the three major pitching titles (wins, earned run average, strikeouts). Meanwhile, Kyle Schwarber was the home run and RBI leader. And both contributed to their teams' division championships. Given that, it's not surprising to think that the MVP would be a close race between the two. However, when the results were announced, Shohei Ohtani was selected unanimously, which surprised me.
Come to think of it, I was also surprised and thrilled when, four years ago in 2021, Shohei Ohtani was selected as the MVP by unanimous vote. No one seems to have noticed, but this selection result was unusual and the first of its kind in MLB history. Let's start with that story.
In 2021, Shohei Ohtani, playing for the Los Angeles Angels, had a remarkable season as a two-way player. He even achieved the first-ever "Quintuple 100" record. That is, he had 139 hits, 100 RBIs, and 103 runs as a batter, and 156 strikeouts and 130.1 innings pitched as a pitcher. He also led the American League in WAR. However, he didn't win any of the three major titles in either pitching or batting, and his OPS was second at .964. And his team didn't win a division title (fourth in the West Division). So, while Shohei Ohtani might be named MVP, I thought it would be a close race with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays. Guerrero Jr.'s team also didn't win a division title (fourth in the East Division), but he did win the home run title and led the league in OPS. However, Ohtani was selected unanimously for the American League MVP. I wasn't surprised that Shohei Ohtani was selected, but I was surprised that he received a unanimous vote, as this was unprecedented.
Up until that point in Major League history, only 18 players had been selected as MVP by unanimous vote 18 times, and 16 of them had won at least one of the three major titles (batting average, home runs, and RBIs for batters; wins, ERA, and strikeouts for pitchers). The remaining two players hadn't won any of the three major titles but had contributed to their team's division title. In other words, in 2021, Shohei Ohtani became the first player in history to be selected as MVP by unanimous vote despite having neither won any of the three major titles nor been with a team that had won a division title. The reason this was such a groundbreaking achievement is likely because Shohei Ohtani's two-way performance was recognized as being worth that much.
Incidentally, even after Shohei Ohtani in 2021, there has not been a single case of a player being selected as MVP by unanimous vote despite not having won any of the three major titles or been with a team that had not won a division title, so Shohei Ohtani must be in a class of his own.
Here's a side note.
I was deeply moved that Shohei Ohtani, and not Vladimir Guerrero Jr., was named the 2021 American League MVP. The reason for this lies in the selection results of the 2004 American League MVP. In 2004, Ichiro of the Seattle Mariners led the American League in batting average with a .372 batting average (this batting average is still the highest single-year batting average in the major leagues of the 21st century, and it's an amazing record that may never be broken!), and set an astonishing single-year record of 262 hits. He also led the league in WAR, and although Ichiro wasn't number one in OPS and the team was last in the West Division, I thought he deserved to be named the American League MVP. However, the winner was Vladimir Guerrero of the Anaheim Angels (now the Los Angeles Angels) (what a coincidence, he's Guerrero Jr.'s father!), even though Vladimir Guerrero hadn't won any of the three major titles and wasn't number one in the league in OPS or WAR. However, the team did win the division. As a huge Ichiro fan, I was furious at the selection results, thinking, "Why Vladimir Guerrero and not Ichiro?" If the 2021 National League MVP had been Vladimir Guerrero Jr. instead of Shohei Ohtani, I might have thought, "The Guerreros are the nemesis of Japanese players!" I'm glad that didn't happen.
At this point, there's something I really want to say about the Guerreros. I have absolutely no ill will towards them; in fact, I like them. I was moved by the sight of Guerrero Jr. crying on the dugout when the Toronto Blue Jays lost to the Dodgers in the 2025 World Series. I was also impressed by what a wonderful father-son relationship they are when I learned that Guerrero Jr. said he wanted to win the World Series and give his father a championship ring, since his father had never experienced it.
Now, Shohei Ohtani has been selected as MVP four times, in 2021, 2023, 2024, and 2025, all with unanimous votes. In 2021, he didn't win any of the three major titles, his OPS wasn't the top in the league, and his team didn't win the division title, but he led the league in WAR. In 2023, his team didn't win the division title, but he led in home runs and OPS and WAR. In 2024, he led in home runs and RBIs, OPS, and WAR, and his team won the division title. In 2025, he didn't win any of the three major titles, but he led in OPS and WAR, and his team won the division title. Looking at these results, it seems that OPS and WAR are more important than the three major titles or the team winning the division title in MVP selection.
Furthermore, the example of Ichiro in 2004 suggests that achieving new record doesn't seem to be as important as OPS or WAR. This is even more evident in the result of this year’s American League MVP selection. Cal Raleigh not only led the league in home runs and RBIs, but also set new records for home runs by a catcher and a switch hitter in a season, yet he wasn't selected as MVP. The MVP was Aaron Judge, who led the league in OPS and WAR. Aaron Judge wasn't unanimous, though, and he was in a close race with Cal Raleigh..
As an avid MLB fan dating back to 1955, I still value the old MVP selection criteria: a team championship, the three major titles, and setting new records. However, times change, and the MVP selection criteria change, so perhaps I need to adjust my thinking accordingly.
Finally, I'd like to introduce an incredibly wonderful book. It's a book in which Japanese baseball journalist Yuta Ishida conducts an extensive interview with Shohei Ohtani. The interviews were conducted from 2018, when Ohtani moved to the Major Leagues, until the start of the 2024 season, when he moved to the Dodgers. Since it's a Japanese book, I sincerely hope that an English translation will be published so that people in English-speaking countries can read it too.
$2$
Reading this book, I was impressed by how intelligent Shohei Ohtani is (he thinks about physical aspects and baseball techniques in an incredibly scientific and logical way!) and how dedicated he is to baseball.
In the book, when asked, "What is the indicator for measuring a number one batter?" Shohei Ohtani answers, "Nowadays, it's OPS, right?". When asked another question, he also said, "What I consider important is OPS."
As a huge Shohei Ohtani fan, I'm going to start placing more importance on OPS from now on.
The book also introduces Shohei Ohtani's idea that "between the ages of 30 and 35, my technique and physical condition will match and I will reach my peak as a player." Shohei Ohtani is now 31 years old, so he may continue to peak for the next four years or so, and continue to perform to the level of an MVP. I'm looking forward to it.
( If I’ve made a mistake or left out something important, please let me know. I’ll try to make corrections or additions.)