Home Baseball ‘He could be the first’ Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers Sensation, Poised to Make History as Potential First DH to Secure MLB MVP Award, According to Ken Rosenthal

‘He could be the first’ Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers Sensation, Poised to Make History as Potential First DH to Secure MLB MVP Award, According to Ken Rosenthal

Baseball — 06/28/2024

This season, Shohei Ohtani is lacking one vital component from his arsenal: his pitching. Nonetheless, the outstanding player for the Los Angeles Dodgers is one of the contenders for the National League MVP title. Should he succeed, he’ll make history as the first designated hitter to win the esteemed award solely based on offensive ability.

Shohei Ohtani

Shohei Ohtani’s ability to play both ways has helped the LA Angels win the MVP award twice, in 2021 and 2023. Ohtani made the most contributions of any position player on the field as a pitcher. He has served as the team’s designated hitter when he is not pitching.

Ohtani was ruled out of the 2024 season totally due to a serious oblique strain that he sustained in September of last year, which led to UCL surgery. Even so, he has helped the Angels at the plate, leading the National League in hits, home runs, and on-base percentage in addition to leading the MLB in average.

With this accomplishment, he has emerged as a leading contender to take home the Major League MVP title in his first season in the National League. However, both offensive and defensive skills are taken into account when voting. If Ohtani continues to play well, MLB insider Ken Rosenthal believes he could become the first designated hitter to win the award.

“It is possible if he puts himself out there so much in the National League that there is no other choice,” Rosenthal stated. “Offensively, if he can separate himself from the rest of the league, then that would be a reason why he could be the first.”

The franchise-record-breaking RBI streak of Shohei Ohtani

Since being promoted to the leadoff place in the Dodgers lineup, Shohei Ohtani has been unstoppable. The $700 million superstar has rebounded spectacularly after a rough start to June, setting a new Dodgers record for the most consecutive RBI games.

In the game against the Chicago White Sox, he recently scored runs when he launched a 437-foot home run in the leadoff spot off White Sox starter Erick Fedde. LA prevailed 4-0 that evening. They will play division rivals San Francisco Giants over the weekend following a day off on Thursday.