Ohtani named finalist for second career AL MVP Award
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ANAHEIM -- Two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani was named one of three finalists for the American League Most Valuable Player Award on Monday as announced on MLB Network.
Ohtani, who won the AL MVP Award in 2021 and is the frontrunner to win it again this year, joins Rangers teammates Marcus Semien and Corey Seager as finalists for the award. The winner will be announced on Nov. 16 at 6 p.m. ET, live on MLB Network.
Ohtani is currently a free agent, and the Angels extended him a qualifying offer on Monday, which allows them to receive Draft-pick compensation if he signs elsewhere. Ohtani will reject the $20.325 million qualifying offer ahead of the Nov. 14 deadline.
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Ohtani, 29, batted .304/.412/.654 with 44 homers, 26 doubles, eight triples, 20 stolen bases and 95 RBIs in 135 games at the plate. He led the league in homers, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, OPS (1.066) and total bases (325). And as a pitcher, Ohtani made 23 starts, going 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA and 167 strikeouts in 132 innings. He led the AL with an opponent¡¯s batting average of .184.
Ohtani was named as an All-Star as both a designated hitter and a starting pitcher for the third straight year. He¡¯s also a finalist for the Silver Slugger Award at DH and won the Players Choice Award for AL Outstanding Player.
Ohtani is looking to become just the second Angels player to win multiple MVP Awards, joining Mike Trout, who won the award in 2014, ¡¯16 and ¡¯19.
But Ohtani saw his season cut short due to a pair of injuries. He suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow while pitching on Aug. 23 and sustained a strained right oblique while taking batting practice on Sept. 4. Ohtani was shut down as a pitcher and tried to return as a hitter, but his oblique injury ultimately ended his season at the plate.
Ohtani underwent elbow surgery in September that will keep him from pitching in 2024. But he¡¯s still expected to command a record-breaking contract in free agency.
Seager and Semien both had strong regular seasons, but they weren¡¯t historic like Aaron Judge¡¯s 2022 campaign that saw him win the AL MVP Award over Ohtani. Seager hit .327/.390/.623 with 33 homers, 42 doubles and 96 RBIs but was limited to just 119 games due to injury. Semien hit .276/.348/.478 with 29 homers, 40 doubles and 100 RBIs while playing in all 162 games.
Ohtani wasn¡¯t among the finalists for the AL Cy Young Award, as his elbow injury cost him a chance to finish among the Top 3 among AL pitchers. The finalists for the AL CY Young Award are Yankees right-hander Gerrit Cole, Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman and Twins right-hander Sonny Gray.