There's no strong competitor! "Otani, I'm sure you're the MVP" U.S. Reporters...The batting average in the second half is 0.210, but 40-40 is enough
Aug 16, 2024
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John Hayman, a prominent New York Post columnist, said on a local podcast 'B/R Walk-off' on the 16th (Korea time), "I'm sure Shohei Otani will be named MVP at this point. He will be the first designated hitter in history to become MVP."
On that basis, Heyman explained, "(Ohtani's teammate) Mookie Betts has been out for nearly two months due to injury, and another designated hitter is having a tremendous season, but I firmly believe Ohtani will eventually become the best player in the NL."
Betts suffered a fracture in the bottom of the seventh inning against the Kansas City Royals on June 17 after being hit by opposing pitcher Dan Altavilla's left hand, leaving him on the injured list for nearly two months. At the time, Betts was batting .304 with 10 home runs, 40 RBIs, 50 runs scored, and an OPS of .892.
Watching the shortstop, he was in a position to compete with Ohtani for the NL top in the WAR. Betts, who returned on the 13th after 56 days of rehabilitation, showed off his strong performance by hitting two hits in three consecutive games until the Milwaukee Brewers on the 15th, but it is physically impossible to catch up with Ohtani in the MVP race.
Another designated hitter Hayman mentioned is Atlanta Braves Marcel Ozuna. As of today, he has a batting average of 0.298, 35 home runs, 90 RBIs, and an OPS of 0.949. Ozuna ranks second in home runs and OPS after Ohtani, and first in RBIs. However, with bWAR of 3.6, which is half of Ohtani's, it is out of the top 10 in the NL.
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Even in this situation, there is little disagreement that Ohtani is NL MVP. Considering that Hayman, a veteran major league journalist, expressed his full support, it can be said that there is a broad atmosphere of 'Otani=MVP'.
In the MVP mock vote announced by MLB.com on the 14th, Ohtani received the first-place vote from 37 out of 45 participants and ranked first overwhelmingly. After Ohtani, Arizona Diamondbacks Ketel Marte came in second with six first-place votes, and Cincinnati Reds Elly Deracruz came in third with two. Philadelphia Phillies Bryce Harper ranked fourth and New York Mets Francisco Lindor ranked fifth. Ozuna stayed in sixth place.
Ohtani overwhelms NL in home runs (37), OPS, slugging percentage (0.613), scoring (91) and Ruta (288). He is also third in the NL with 35 stolen bases. Ohtani's unrivaled presence should be viewed as 'relativity'. The competitors who should check Ohtani are weak. Marte is closely chasing Ohtani (6.1) with bWAR 6.0, but it is not enough to lose the votes of the BBWAA (National Baseball Writers Association) who has the right to vote from Ohtani.
If Ohtani goes to the American League (AL) with his current performance, it is hard to dream of becoming an MVP. New York Yankees Aaron Judge (43 home runs, 110 RBIs, OPS 1.174), Juan Soto (34 home runs, 87 RBIs, OPS 1.053), and Kansas City Royals Bobby Wit Jr. (24 home runs, 89 RBIs, OPS 1.009) have higher OPS than Ohtani. bWAR is also more than 1.4 ahead of Ohtani with 8.4 in jersey, 7.9 in wit junior and 7.5 in soto.
However, Ohtani is certain to join the 40-40 club for the sixth time in history, as he has three home runs and five steals left for 40 home runs and 40 steals, respectively. It's the only player this season. The current pace is 49 home runs and 46 steals.
jhno@sportschosun.com
