Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani 'Hard to Pass' In MVP Race, Says Hall of Famer

Maren Angus-Coombs | Sep 4, 2024

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With Shohei Ohtani inching closer to a historic 50-50 season and just a few weeks left in the regular season, the conversation around whether the Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter will win his fourth Most Valuable Player award is heating up.

If Ohtani does take home the MVP, he would not only become the first exclusive designated hitter to win the award, but it would also be his first in the National League.

MLB on FOX analyst and Baseball Hall of Famer John Smoltz weighed in on Ohtani’s incredible season and the competition he faces in the MVP race.

"It's going to be hard to pass Ohtani based on what he's doing," Smoltz said. "I know he's a DH, and there's going to be a lot of conversation around that, but he's doing things that no DH has ever done before. So, I think this is going to be exciting down the stretch, but it would take a historic September for Francisco Lindor, or anybody for that matter, to catch Ohtani."

Smoltz mentioned Lindor because of his standout performance in leading the New York Mets to a possible playoff berth, something that seemed out of reach earlier in the season.

"He's all the greatest players with all the greatest skills, rolled into one."

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On Tuesday, Lindor was batting .273 with 30 home runs, 84 RBIs, and 26 stolen bases, making a strong case for MVP in his own right. Meanwhile, Ohtani entered Tuesday with 44 home runs and 46 stolen bases, numbers that continue to set him apart.

"That's where that conversation comes in: if Lindor helps the Mets get to the postseason when nobody thought they had a chance, especially with their start," Smoltz added. "I felt like he was going to do this at some point, maybe in the last year and a half. It's been a tough transition for him, but I think now with the year he's having, Mets fans are finally relieved to see he can be the guy that they thought they got when they signed him to that megadeal."

The MVP race is often open to interpretation. Some voters might lean towards a player like Lindor, whose contributions are pivotal to his team’s success. But how do they deny the best player in the league?

"I think the MVP has been stretched in so many ways," Smoltz continued. "The definition of the MVP award has been—you could probably get six different definitions of it—but it really should represent the best year a player has had in that league, regardless of the team they play on. I would navigate that toward a tiebreaker. If it's close and the Braves or the Mets were to happen to get in because of those individuals, then I would say that you could vote for that as a tiebreaker."