Shohei Ohtani Unanimously Wins AL MVP Award

[Stuart G]

Source: ESPN...

Shohei Ohtani, coming off a largely unprecedented 2021 season, was crowned the American League's Most Valuable Player unanimously on Thursday night, cementing the two-way superstar as a global sensation.

Later in Japan, the Tokyo Tower was scheduled to be lit up in Los Angeles Angels colors to celebrate Ohtani becoming the 19th unanimous MVP in major league history. Earlier, Major League Baseball ran a global spot centered on Ohtani in four languages, representing the latest in a string of efforts to market him all over the world.
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Ohtani, 27, amassed 46 home runs and made 23 starts for an otherwise lowly Angels team. Offensively, he posted a .965 OPS (second highest in the AL), added eight triples (tied for the major league lead) and stole 26 bases (a mark topped by only seven players). He became the sixth player in history with at least 45 homers and at least 25 stolen bases in the same season, joining a decorated list of names that includes Al

NOTE THIS ONE...NO ONE HAS DONE THIS:....(156 STRIKE OUTS, 45 HOME RUNS)

Ohtani also compiled 130 1/3 innings on the mound, and boasted a 3.18 ERA with 156 strikeouts and 44 walks. Among those with at least 120 innings in 2021, Ohtani ranked within the top 14% in strikeout percentage, the top 19% in opponents' slugging percentage and the top 16% in expected fielding independent pitching. All told, Ohtani was worth 9.1 Baseball-Reference wins above replacement, far more than anybody else in the sport.

Read more: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/32662673/shohei-ohtani-los-angeles-angels-unanimously-wins-al-mvp

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[BradAllison]

1. The Angels have the two best players in baseball and can't make the postseason

Pretty crazy.

[True Dough]

3. True, but Mike Trout spent half of the season injured

He's really been hamstrung by injuries the past few seasons.

[jmowreader]

6. It would help if they didn't also have 24 bums

Ohtani, Trout and 24 guys who should be in Double-A is not a recipe for a trip to the postseason.

[StevieM]

8. Anthony Rendon is not a bum who should be in Double-A. (eom)

[True Dough]

2. This was the only legitimate outcome

Ohtani was accomplishing things not seen since Babe Ruth. No offensive output alone was going to surpass that.

[Buckeye_Democrat]

4. Now all pitchers will be expected to hit over 40 HR's a year.

Amazing performance! He became the first player in MLB history with over 20 HR's while pitching over 70 strike outs, and those numbers were from June!

[Stuart G]

5. I got to tell the truth.-I never heard of him before today..27 years old..well I will hear about him

again, and many more times...I live near Chicago...American League...Chicago White Sox...maybe I can
see this guy pitch a game, and hit a homer in the same game.....maybe...???

[Demovictory9]

7. I know nothing about baseball but his face is all over Angels stadium near me

On signs outside stadium

[malthaussen]

9. So much for the Designated Hitter rule. :)

A question: if a pitcher starts and bats in the DH slot, then gets pulled off the mound, is he still allowed to hit as the DH, or does he have to be replaced there as well?

-- Mal

[Jimbo S]

11. I think there's no DH to begin with

His pitching replacement would also be an offensive player.

[Calista241]

10. Wow, i'm a Braves and NL fan, so not much exposure to the AL.

but wow, 45 home runs and a starting pitcher? In today's league that's flat out amazing.