National Broadcaster: Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani ‘Going To Be Hard To Pass’ In NL MVP Race
With Shohei Ohtani inching closer to a historic 50-50 season and only a few weeks left in the regular season, it is time to seriously think about whether the Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter will win his fourth Most Valuable Player award.
If he does, he would become the first exclusive designated hitter to win the award and it would also be his first in the National League.
MLB on FOX analyst and Baseball Hall of Famer John Smoltz shared his thoughts about Ohtani and his race for history.
“It’s going to be hard to pass Ohtani based on what he’s doing,” said Smoltz. “I know he’s a DH, and there’s going to be a lot of conversation around that, but he’s doing things that no DH has ever done before. So, I think this is going to be exciting down the stretch, but it would take a historic September for Francisco Lindor, or anybody for that matter, to catch Ohtani.”
Smoltz mentioned Lindor because he is leading the New York Mets to a possible playoff appearance in a season where it seemed impossible at one point.
On Tuesday, Lindor was batting .273 with 30 home runs, 84 runs batted in, and 26 stolen bases. Meanwhile, Ohtani entered Tuesday with 44 home runs and 46 stolen bases.
“That’s where that conversation comes in: if Lindor helps the Mets get to the postseason when nobody thought they had a chance, especially with their start,” Smoltz added. “I felt like he was going to do this at some point, maybe in the last year and a half. It’s been a tough transition for him, but I think now with the year he’s having, Mets fans are finally relieved to see he can be the guy that they thought they got when they signed him to that megadeal.”
The race for MVP could be interpreted in different ways. Voters could consider a player like Lindor because the Mets wouldn’t be where they are without him but how do you deny the NL’s best player?
“I think the MVP has been stretched in so many ways,” Smoltz continued. “The definition of the MVP award has been, you could probably get six different definitions of it, but it really should represent the best year a player has had in that league, regardless of the team they play on. I would navigate that toward a tiebreaker. If it’s close and the Braves or the Mets were to happen to get in because of those individuals, then I would say that you could vote for that as a tiebreaker.”
If one of baseball’s most famous old-school pundits can embrace the idea of a full-time designated hitter winning an MVP award for the first time, Ohtani stands an excellent chance of becoming the first DH to win the award this year.
Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Have you subscribed to our YouTube Channel yet? Subscribe and hit that notification bell to stay up to date on all the latest Dodgers news, rumors, interviews, live streams, and more!
