Angels News: LA Minor Leaguer Says Shohei Ohtani Snubbed as MVP

He was also teammates with Ohtani for three seasons.

The battle for the American League MVP was a two-man race all year long. Aaron Judge put up record numbers from the plate, breaking the AL home run record with 62. Shohei Ohtani, on the other hand, put up historic numbers all year, as he became the first player in MLB history to qualify among the league leaders as both a pitcher and hitter.

Any other year they each would’ve won MVPs — and most likely, unanimous MVPs. But this year, only one could win. And Judge, after his historic season, took home the award with 28 of the 30 first-place votes.

However, one Angel minor league pitcher thinks his former teammate was robbed of winning his second consecutive MVP award.

Ty Buttrey, a pitcher in the Angels minor league system, didn’t hold back sharing his thoughts on the award.

His argument, like the one held by many, is that Ohtani is doing something that’s never been done before in MLB history. Yes, Judge broke the AL home run record. But Ohtani was a top 10 player as both a pitcher and hitter. He was fourth in the Cy Young voting — and many felt he should’ve been a top three finalist — and finished as a runner-up for the Silver Slugger at DH and Utility. He truly did it all for the Angels, in what was the greatest season in MLB history.

Ohtani may not have won the award, but Angels fans know how lucky they were to watch his greatness on a nightly basis. And good news for them is they’ll have at least one more year of it.