Shohei Ohtani’s Dodgers Jersey is Most Popular in MLB in First Half
Shohei Ohtani’s move from Anaheim to Los Angeles over the winter has done wonders for his jersey sales. MLB announced the top-selling jerseys around the world for the first half of the season on Friday, and Ohtani leads the pack once again.
Ohtani has reclaimed the top spot for the league’s most popular jersey, this time in Dodger Blue. Last season with the Angels, Ohtani’s jersey ranked as the most popular, making him the first Japanese player to ever lead the list. Now, he remains as the only Japanese player to lead the list.
Behind Ohtani are Phillies’ Bryce Harper and Yankees’ Aaron Judge, but it has not been released how much their jerseys differ in sales. Ohtani is joined in the top 10 by teammate Mookie Betts and former Dodger Corey Seager. Freddie Freeman ranks 20th on the list, according to MLBshop.com, which makes the Dodgers the only team to have three players in the top 20.
Ohtani claimed the Fanatics record for highest sales within 48 hours of a player signing with a new team last December. He more than doubled Lionel Messi’s previous record following the soccer star’s announcement of his move to Inter Miami FC.
The two-way star has garnered immense support from his home country ever since joining MLB. The Fanatics shop based in Japan noted that within 48 hours of Ohtani’s announcement, he sold more jerseys in Japan than all MLB teams combined over the past two years, according to FanaticsInc.com.
The high demand for an Ohtani jersey is no surprise. He shattered the record for most career home runs by a Japanese-born player earlier this season. His 28 home runs, .627 slugging percentage and 1.025 OPS rank second in MLB to Yankees star Aaron Judge.
Now in the National League, Ohtani is on track for his third MVP award. Ohtani recently won his fourth consecutive ESPY for Best MLB Player.
Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
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