Angels News: Shohei Ohtani Officially Named Finalist for 2 Major MLB Awards

Another special season for the two-way superstar.

The 2023 season was one to remember for Angels two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani in many ways. He is the current frontrunner for the American League MVP award, and he put up another incredible year all around.

While his season was cut short due to a torn UCL and an oblique injury, Ohtani remains the biggest show in baseball. He dazzles audiences each time he steps onto the field, and it’s a marvel to watch him play the game.

In addition to possibly winning the MVP award, Ohtani has also been named as a finalist for two MLBPA Choice Awards. It’s a special honor to be mentioned with all of these other great players and Ohtani deserves all the praise headed his way.

He is a finalist for the Player of the Year award with Mookie Betts from the Los Angeles Dodgers and Ronald Acuna Jr. from the Atlanta Braves. And he is a finalist for the American League Outstanding Player of the Year award alongside Yandy Diaz of the Tampa Bay Rays and Corey Seager of the Texas Rangers.

The 2023 #PlayersChoiceAwards Finalists 🍿👀 pic.twitter.com/zmjm0ZLOg4

— MLBPA (@MLBPA) October 17, 2023

Ohtani will likely win one of, if not, both of these honors after the season he put together. He was special on both sides of the game, showcasing his two-way skillset very effectively.

On the mound, Ohtani posted an ERA of 3.14 across 23 starts. He struck out 167 batters over 132 innings of work, and he also put up a 1.06 WHIP.

At the plate, Ohtani did some serious damage to the baseball. He hit .304 with 44 home runs and 95 runs batted in over 135 games. In addition, Ohtani posted a WAR of 10.0 and a 1.066 OPS for the year.

It was an incredible season for Ohtani, and it will see him land a massive contract this offseason from some team. His free agency will be unlike anything we have seen in baseball history, and we can't wait to see what happens!