Angels News: Shohei Ohtani Officially a Finalist for Second AL MVP Award

King Shohei is at it again!

The MLB season award finalists were announced today and the Angels were able to see one of their own make the cut. Two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani was named a finalist for the American League MVP award this season, and he seems to be the frontrunner to win his second MVP honor.

Your 2023 @officialBBWAA AL Most Valuable Player Award finalists:

Shohei Ohtani
Corey Seager
Marcus Semien pic.twitter.com/eue5p6qL1V

— MLB (@MLB) November 7, 2023

Ohtani defied expectations for himself once again, and he amazed audiences all season long. Unfortunately, his season was cut short due to a torn UCL and an oblique issue that wouldn’t go away, but he was so dominant prior that he should still win the award.

His two-way abilities are unlike anything that we have ever seen, and he continues to be the biggest show in baseball today. Ohtani is the modern-day Babe Ruth and has even surpassed him in terms of what he can do on the baseball field.

At the plate, Ohtani hit .304 with 44 home runs and 95 runs batted in. He also posted an OPS of 1.066 for the year, appearing in 135 games over the course of the season.

On the mound, he was special as well, posting an ERA of 3.14 in 23 games started. He had a record of 10-5 and right before his pitching year was shut down, he hadn't allowed a run in his last 20.1 innings of work.

Assuming that Ohtani does win the MVP award, it would culminate a special season for the Japanese superstar. He now heads into free agency, where he is expected to receive the largest contract in baseball history.

In all likelihood, Ohtani will leave the Angels in search of a more consistent winning organization, but his contributions to the Halos organization can't be overstated. The two-way superstar wants to win, and as long as he is with the Angels, it isn't likely to happen while they sit in mediocrity.