Shohei “Idoryu” Ohtani (Los Angeles Angels) has been phenomenal this season.
As a hitter, he leads the American League (A)L in OPS (1.083), slugging percentage (.680), on-base percentage (.403), home runs (39), and triples (7), according to Forbes. He is also second in RBI (81) and sixth in batting average (.302).
On the mound, Ohtani is 9-5 in 20 starts this season, ranking 10th in the league with a 3.43 ERA. He leads the AL in batting average (0.185), is second in strikeouts per nine innings (11.64) and third in walks (156).
Ohtani was particularly impressive in a recent doubleheader against the Detroit Tigers.
In game one, he pitched his first career complete game with one hit, eight strikeouts, and three walks, and in game two, he hit two home runs as a batter, becoming the first player in MLB history to throw a complete game in one game of a doubleheader and hit a home run in the other.
He also leads the league in bWAR (wins above replacement). As a hitter, he leads the AL with
4.9 as a hitter. Add to that his pitching WAR, which is 7.7.
That’s well ahead of New York Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole’s 4.8.
Two years ago, Ohtani became the 19th player to win the Most Valuable Player award by unanimous vote of the Baseball Writers Association of America (BWAA). But this season, Ohtani has been even better.
As a result, Forbes reported on Monday (July 31) that Ohtani could become the first player in Major League Baseball history to win multiple unanimous MVP awards.
Barring injury or an unexpected mega-slump in the final nine weeks of the season, there’s little doubt that Ohtani will win the AL MVP, according to Forbes.
Betting on him to win the MVP doesn’t make sense. You could make a lot more money just by putting your cash into an online savings account or similar risk-free investment. Ohtani’s MVP win was a foregone conclusion.
However, Forbes points out that “while Ohtani is the frontrunner, there’s no guarantee he’ll be a unanimous MVP.”
MVP voting is done by 30 BBWAA members, two from each city of an AL team. A unanimous vote is not possible if one of them votes for another player.
According to Forbes, the BBWAA has been awarding MVPs in each league since 1931, with 11 American League players and eight National League players winning the award unanimously.온라인카지노
Forbes also highlighted some players who put up huge WAR numbers but didn’t win unanimous MVP honors. In 2016, Angels outfielder Mike Trout posted a WAR of 10.5, but only received 19 of 30 first-place votes. At the time, Boston Red Sox outfielder Mookie Betts (9.5 WAR) received nine first-place votes, while Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz (5.2 WAR) and Texas Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre (6.7 WAR) received one.
In 2018, Betts received 1