Shohei Ohtani is doing it again—and somehow, he’s doing it better than ever.
The Los Angeles Dodgers’ two-way superstar has etched his name into the record books once more, becoming the only player in Major League Baseball history to hit 20+ home runs, steal 10+ bases, and score 50+ runs before June. As Ben Verlander aptly put it on X: “Shohei Ohtani. That’s it. That’s the list.”
Ohtani’s jaw-dropping production in his second season with the Dodgers has vaulted him to the front of the National League MVP race, despite a slow start. Through his first 24 games, Ohtani slashed just .260 with six home runs and an .834 OPS—solid by most standards, but modest for a reigning MVP. Since then, he’s erupted. Over his last 40 games, he’s hit .316 with 16 home runs and a 1.196 OPS, bringing his season totals to:
- .292/.386/.661 slash line
- 23 home runs (MLB leader)
- 64 runs scored (MLB leader)
- 11 stolen bases
- 1.047 OPS (second in the NL)
Shohei Ohtani – NL Player of the Month
He was rightly named National League Player of the Month for May, during which he slashed .309 with 15 home runs and a blistering 1.180 OPS. Ohtani acknowledged the honor by resharing the Dodgers’ announcement with his 9.6 million Instagram followers, then reposted MLB’s post celebrating both himself and Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, the AL winner.
And Ohtani might just be getting started.
According to manager Dave Roberts and Dodgers insiders, the two-way star is making steady progress in his rehab as a pitcher—raising the tantalizing possibility of a return to the mound later this season. If he regains even a fraction of his former dominance as a starter, Ohtani’s campaign could transcend the MVP race altogether.
As Jason Foster of MLB.com observed, Ohtani is “well on his way back to the mound” and already in pole position for MVP No. 4. In MLB.com’s recent poll of 41 baseball writers, Ohtani received 31 first-place votes—a commanding lead over second-place Pete Crow-Armstrong.
Ohtani is already one of just 14 players to win back-to-back MVPs. If he captures his third consecutive trophy, he would join Barry Bonds (2001–2004) as the only player to accomplish that feat. Bonds is also the only player to win four MVP awards, a milestone Ohtani is now well-positioned to reach—perhaps even surpass.
More importantly for the Dodgers, Ohtani’s excellence has Los Angeles firmly atop the NL West with a 36–24 record and legitimate World Series aspirations. After defeating the Yankees in the 2024 Fall Classic to end a decades-long title drought, the Dodgers are eyeing back-to-back Commissioner’s Trophies—and with Ohtani at the center of it all, few would bet against them.
Shohei Ohtani isn’t just chasing history. He’s making it—day after day, swing after swing, steal after steal. And if he makes it back to the mound, we might not be talking about just another MVP.
We could be witnessing the greatest season in the modern era.