Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani is the best player in baseball. Argue with a wall if you don’t agree.
There is a small argument right now that since he is simply a DH, there are players who do more for their teams and, thus, are seen as better. However, Ohtani just threw a bullpen session where he hit 97 mph against live hitters. Once he is back on the mound, it will be tough to argue against him being in the top spot.
That being said, ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle does not currently have Ohtani as the top player in baseball; he does not even have him as the top player in the National League.
Dodgers Star Shohei Ohtani Ranked 2nd In MVP Odds
Doolittle recently released his article naming players to watch for various MLB awards. For the NL MVP, it was not the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani as the frontrunner but rather Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong.
Doolittle writes:
“Crow-Armstrong’s emergence has made him one of baseball’s best stories this season. Entering the season, we knew that PCA, as he’s affectionately called, could post elite defense and baserunning metrics. If only he could hit! Would a leap from an 88 to a 145 OPS+ work? How about a pace that could see Crow-Armstrong post a 40/40 season? The strike zone numbers suggest a coming regression – more than five whiffs for every walk – but so far, so great.”
PCA is currently batting .275 with 15 home runs and 50 RBIs. He has an OPS of .866, which is good enough for 24th in the league.
So far this season, Ohtani is batting .292 with 20 home runs (most in MLB), and 35 RBIs. The fewer RBIs is not surprising considering Ohtani bats leadoff. He has an OPS of 1.042, which is 3rd in the MLB.
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Doolittle did have Ohtani in 2nd place in the MVP running and had this to say:
“Doesn’t it seem like Ohtani is ever so slightly off from last season’s unprecedented level? Well, his percentages are on target to match or exceed those numbers. He’s on pace for 57 homers and 171 (!) runs. Only his steal numbers are down from last season, but, lest we forget, his metrics might be bolstered by pitching categories in the near future. Meanwhile, even though Ohtani doesn’t lead NL hitters in either of the major versions of WAR, AXE likes his sizable lead in WPA among all NL batsmen.”
Ohtani has 11 steals so far, which is still good enough for 15th in the league.
Nothing against PCA whatsoever, but this sounds more like voter fatigue than someone being more deserving than the best player in baseball.
Regardless, once Ohtani makes his debut on the mound for the Dodgers, as long as he keeps his hitting pace, he should have no problem locking up another MVP award.