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Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani was unanimously named the National League's Most Valuable Player on Thursday after a historic season at the plate. This was Ohtani's third MVP award, solidifying Ohtani's status as one of, if not the greatest player in Major League Baseball history.
After it was announced that Ohtani had won his MVP, he addressed what winning it for the third time means to him in an interview on MLB Network translated by Matt Hidaka on Thursday.
“I'm just representing the Dodgers. It was a complete team effort,” Ohtani said. “I would not have been able to receive this award if it weren't for my teammates. If my teammates weren't there, if we didn't play as a team, we would not have even gotten to the playoffs or won the World Series. I'm representing the team winning this award.”
“I obviously don't go into the season striving to get the MVP award,” Ohtani continued. “I was more focused on being one of the guys with the new team, with the Dodgers. I wanted to embrace the fans as well and just let them learn who I was, that was my main focus heading into the season.”
Shohei Ohtani's historic 2024 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers
Ohtani had arguably the most impressive individual offensive season of all time in 2024. Ohtani led the National League with a .390 OBP, .646 SLG, 54 home runs and 130 RBI and led all of baseball with 134 runs. Ohtani also stole 59 bases, becoming the first player in MLB history to hit 50 home runs and steal 50 bases in the same season.
By winning the NL MVP in 2024, Ohtani became the first full-time designated hitter to win the award. He also became the first player to win three unanimous MVPs, the only player other than Frank Robinson to win an MVP in both leagues and the first back-to-back MVP since Miguel Cabrera in 2012-13.
After what Ohtani accomplished in 2024, both as an individual and with the Dodgers when he helped lead them to a World Series title, there is no doubt about his standing among the all-time greats. Ohtani is a truly unique and legendary superstar.
Ohtani has the potential to put together an even more impressive season in 2025. He is expected to return to the mound after having elbow surgery at the end of the 2023 season. If Ohtani is able to come close to replicating his offensive production while returning to the dominant pitcher he has shown he can be, the best may still be yet to come from Ohtani.
