Dodgers News: 2023 NL MVP Voter Believes 2024 Vote Will Be a ‘Landslide’
As Shohei Ohtani stole his 49th base of the season on Wednesday, bringing him within one stolen base and two home runs of the first 50/50 season in MLB history, he becomes an even clearer favorite to win the National League MVP award.
Ohtani, who has previously won the American League MVP award twice with the Los Angeles Angels, has been the favorite to win his third MVP award in MLB for much of the 2024 season. The primary case against Ohtani has been that he is only a designated hitter this season, but he continues to prove that doesn’t matter as he approaches 50/50.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today, who was a voter for the 2023 NL MVP award, endorsed the idea that Ohtani will win. Nightengale told Doug McKain of Dodgers Nation he thinks Ohtani will be crowned NL MVP, though he doesn’t think Ohtani will win unanimously.
“I think it’ll be a landslide,” Nightengale told McKain. “I don’t think it’ll be unanimous, particularly with the New York writers. There’s only 30 votes but I bet he gets at least 26 of the 30, if not 28 of the 30. Just too big a season. If you’re a DH you have to have monster numbers and he did. Funny, everyone’s kind of transfixed on 50-50 when he already broke the record; 43-43 was the record, just not a nice round number. Yeah, he’ll get 50-50. It’s a cool thing especially for a DH to do it.”
Nightengale added that the voters were heavily in favor of the winner of the 2023 NL MVP award, Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. Acuña recorded 40 home runs and more than 70 stolen bases — the first such season in major league history, which contributed in large part to him winning the award.
“We went nuts last year for Ronald Acuña (Jr.),” Nightengale said. “He hit 40 home runs, stole 72 bases, and played right field. That was amazing too.”
With Ohtani already has made history with the first 48/48 season in history, and likely the first 50/50 season ever, it would be hard to not see him easily winning the MVP in his first season as a Dodger.
Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
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