Shohei Ohtani Takes Home Prestigious End of Year Honor

The former Los Angeles Angels-turned Los Angeles Dodgers star has taken home the AP Male Athlete of the Year Award.

Former Los Angeles Angels-turned Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has another award for his trophy case as 2023 comes to a close.

He's been named the Male Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press:

For the second time in three years, Shohei Ohtani has been named the AP Male Athlete of the Year. pic.twitter.com/XdjA8CYVNJ

— MLB (@MLB) December 21, 2023

He's actually won the award before, which was pointed out in an MLB.com article:

Ohtani was previously recognized as the AP’s Male Athlete of the Year in 2021, so he is now in a group of 11 male athletes who have received the honor multiple times. That list contains some of the biggest names in sports history, including LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Tiger Woods and Dodgers legend Sandy Koufax.

It was another banner year for the generational talent. Ohtani started out the year helping lift Team Japan to a World Baseball Classic championship, then proceeded to win the American League MVP Award after hitting a league-best 44 homers. That was his second MVP Award in the last three years, also winning it in 2021.

Now, he's earned the richest contract in American professional sports, signing a 10-year, $700 million deal with the Dodgers. 

Yup, that sounds like a pretty worthy candidate right there.

With Ohtani in the fold, the Dodgers are among the favorites to win the World Series in 2024. In addition to adding him, the team added Tyler Glasnow via a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Los Angeles has made the playoffs in 11 consecutive years but was bounced in the National League Division Series by the Arizona Diamondbacks. The D'Backs went onto the World Series themselves.

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