Shohei Ohtani (29, Los Angeles Angels) was again unanimously named MVP for the second time in his career. He became the first player in history to win two unanimous MVP awards. As one of the top free agents this winter, Ohtani’s MVP honor further boosted his stock.
The Baseball Writers Association of America (BBWAA) released the results of the MVP voting for both leagues on Sunday. In the American League, Ohtani was selected, while Ronald Acuña Jr. (26, Atlanta Braves) was honored in the National League. Both players were unanimous winners, marking the first time in Major League Baseball history that both league MVPs were unanimous.
Ohtani was a finalist for the award alongside infielders Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, who led the Texas Rangers to their first World Series title in franchise history. Ohtani was unable to complete the season as a pitcher after undergoing surgery last month to repair a sore elbow, but he continued to pitch and hit until August. While he was batting, he was still among the top performers in the majors, making him a strong MVP candidate.토토사이트
Ohtani swept the 30 first-place votes, totaling 420 points. Second place went to Seager, who received 24 second-place votes and six third-place votes for 264 points. Third-place finisher Simeon followed with 216 points, including five second-place votes and 25 third-place votes or less.
Ohtani was unanimously named the 2021 MVP for the first time in his career. It was the year he first proved his potential as a two-way star. On the mound, Ohtani pitched 23 games with a 9-2 record, 130⅓ innings pitched, 156 strikeouts, and a 3.18 ERA. At the plate, he played 158 games, batting .257 (138-for-537) with 46 home runs, 100 RBIs, and a .964 OPS.
Despite his stellar performance last year, he was blocked by the “Home Run King” Aaron Judge (New York Yankees). As a pitcher, Ohtani had a career-high season last year with a 15-9 record in 28 games, 166 innings pitched, 219 strikeouts, and a 2.33 ERA. At the plate, he batted .273 (160-for-586) with 34 home runs, 95 RBIs, and an OPS of .875 in 157 games. However, Ohtani only received two first-place votes in the MVP voting, as Judge made an impact with 62 home runs, the most in American League history.
This year, Ohtani once again made unanimous MVP history, proving why he is now considered a superstar in the major leagues.
Ohtani joined Mike Trout as the second player in Angels history to win the MVP more than once. Trout was nominated for MVP for three consecutive years from 2014 to 2016, making Ohtani the first Angels player since Trout to win MVP for three consecutive years. He also became the seventh MVP in Angels history. Don Baylor in 1979, Vladimir Guerrero in 2004, Trout in 2014, 2016, and 2019, and Ohtani in 2021 and this year.
In 135 games this year, Ohtani batted .304 (151-for-497) with a 1.066 OPS, 44 home runs, 95 RBI, and 102 runs scored. He ranked first in the big leagues in three categories: on-base percentage (0.654), OPS, and wRC+ (180). wRC+ is adjusted run production. His 44 home runs led the American League.
On the mound, he started 23 games, posting a 10-5 record, 132 innings pitched, 167 strikeouts, and a 3.14 ERA. He held opponents to just a .184 batting average. If he had finished the season without elbow pain, he could have finished in the top half of the league. Even with the pain, Ohtani was responsible for more than 10 wins and fulfilled the duties of the team’s top hitter and ace.
For the second year in a row, Ohtani summoned up Babe Ruth by winning 10 games and hitting 10 or more home runs. Since Roosevelt in 1918, Ohtani is the only player in both major leagues to win 10 games and hit 10 or more home runs in back-to-back years.
In the National League, the award goes to Ronald Acuña Jr. He took the top spot in the National League with 30 first-place votes. It’s his first career MVP honor.
Aquino Jr. emerged as a strong MVP candidate this year after becoming the first player in major league history to join the 40-homer, 70-steal club. In 159 games, he hit .337 (217-for-643) with 41 home runs, 106 RBIs, 73 doubles, and a 1.012 OPS, and had already won a Silver Slugger award. He led the majors in hits, stolen bases, slugging percentage (.416) and runs scored (149), while his OPS ranked first in the National League.
As MLB.com notes, “Acuña Jr. put up a fantastic record (40-70) in a landscape altered by new rules, including limited contact and larger base sizes. He was one of 13 hitters to hit 35 or more home runs, but none of them stole more than 21 bases.
Acuña Jr. also became the first player since Carl Yastrzemski of the Boston Red Sox in 1967 to lead his league in hits, runs scored, slugging percentage, OPS, and on-base percentage. This feat has only been accomplished by Hall of Famers such as Nap Lajoie in 1901, Ty Cobb in 1909 and 1915, Rogers Hornsby in 1921, 1922, and 1924, and Stan Musial in 1948.
Acuña Jr. becomes the eighth MVP in Atlanta history. This is the first MVP trophy for Atlanta in three years after Freddie Freeman (now with the Dodgers) won the award during the 2020 COVID-19 shortened season.
He leads the National League with 643 hits and has stolen 73 bases, and he has no intention of stopping. He’ll be playing in the Venezuelan Winter League this winter.