Although his MLB contract was broken in a year, Shohei Ohtani (30, LA Dodgers) is already considered a strong MVP candidate for the 2025 season.
Japanese media Tokyo Sports reported on the 18th, “Otani is already certain to win the 2025 National League MVP award,” adding, “The year has not passed yet, but it means that Ohtani’s ability has been recognized by everyone.”
Ohtani, who is in his seventh year in the Major League this year, has already won his third MVP. Winning the American League MVP in 2021 and 2023 when he was with the Los Angeles Angels, he was honored again in the National League this year after moving to the Los Angeles Dodgers. All three MVPs were unanimous.
Ohtani’s remarkable performance was attributed to his outstanding performance. He had a batting average of 0.310 (197 hits in 636 times at bat) in 159 games during the regular season, 54 homers, 130 RBIs, 134 runs and 59 steals, and a 0.390 on-base hit ratio of 0.646 OPS 1.036. Having stopped short of “derivatives” due to elbow surgery last year, he only focused on hitting and achieved a career high with his bat.
Notably, the keyword representing Ohtani’s season is “50-50.” He displayed tremendous home runs and steal pace this year, achieving the record of 50 home runs and 50 steals in a single season for the first time in the Major League. He ranks first in home runs, RBIs, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and OPS. Unfortunately, he lost the Triple Crown (homer, RBI, and batting average) by ranking second in the batting average, but he swept the league. 바카라사이트
Ohtani signed a 10-year, 700 million-dollar contract with the Dodgers ahead of this season, which was the highest contract ever made in the Major League at the time. No matter how many dipper contracts (deferring payment) that receive 97 percent of the total amount after 10 years, the Dodgers’ investment came back to winning this year’s World Series.
Ohtani became the unanimous MVP in 2024, but he will have a strong competitor next season. He is Juan Soto of the New York Mets. He recently beat Ohtani’s record by confirming a blockbuster contract worth 765 million U.S. dollars for 15 years with the Mets.
Soto is also one of the top players in the big leagues. He has posted a batting average of 0.285 (934 hits in 3,280 at-bats), 201 homers, 592 RBIs and 655 runs scored, on-base percentage of 0.421 hit ratio of 0.532 and OPS of 0.953 in 936 games thus far. Having joined the New York Yankees this year after playing for the Washington Nationals and the San Diego Padres, he has a batting average of 0.288, 41 homers, 109 RBIs, 128 runs and OPS of 0.989.
Ohtani and Soto debuted in the big leagues side by side in 2018, but they have never competed directly for the MVP. Ohtani played for the American League Angels until last year, and Washington and San Diego, where Soto played until 2023, were the National League. This year, Ohtani moved to the Dodgers in the National League, but coincidentally, Soto also played in the American League for the first time. It will be the first head-to-head match in eight professional seasons.
Controversy is brewing over who will win the MVP award. BetQL, a U.S. betting site, said, “Even if Sotona Kyle Tucker (Chicago Cubs) moves to the National League, it will be hard to win the MVP award. It’s because one player (Otani) is holding out, and Otani has no chance of winning the MVP award no matter what league he plays in.” In fact, media outlets put Ohtani’s MVP dividend at +200 and Soto at +550. The smaller the number, the more likely he is, meaning Ohtani expected to become the top player.
The opening of the 2025 season is still a long way off. As of Thursday, the Dodgers has 90 days left before the opening of next year (March 18). Therefore, it is not clear yet what will happen. For now, however, Ohtani is highly likely to win the trophy again.
