Shohei Ohtani Sweeps Past Texas Rangers Duo for AL MVP

Texas Rangers teammates Corey Seager and Marcus Semien finished second and third in American League MVP voting.

Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien and shortstop Corey Seager were unable to overtake Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani for the American League MVP award, which was presented on Thursday.

In fact, it wasn’t close. Ohtani claimed each of the 30 first-place votes, in spite of missing the season’s final month due to a UCL injury. The award is given for regular-season performance. But, by then, Ohtani had done enough.

Ohtani finished 2023 with a slash line of .304/.412/.654/1.066 with 44 home runs and 95 RBI, with his home run total leading the American League. As a pitcher he went 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA with 167 strikeouts and 55 walks.

He won the MVP award for the first time in 2021. He is set to be a free agent, with the Rangers rumored to be a suitor.

Seager came in second and Semien came in third in voting. They were finalist for the award, the first time two Rangers were finalists in the same year. Semien was a finalist for the third time, while Seager was a finalist in 2016.

Shohei Ohtani wins his second unanimous American League MVP award. Here is the full voting breakdown: pic.twitter.com/t14JpyKCus

— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) November 16, 2023

Semien and Seager were key cogs in helping the Rangers win their first World Series.

Semien slashed .276/.348/.478/.826 with 29 home runs, 29 doubles, 100 RBI and 122 runs, leading the AL in hits (185), runs, plate appearances (a club-record 753) and at-bats (670).

Semien started all 179 games for Texas in the regular season and postseason, totaling 835 plate appearances, setting MLB records in both categories for a single season.

Seager slashed .327/.390/.623/1.013 with 33 home runs, 42 doubles, and 96 RBI, ranking among AL leaders in doubles (first), batting average (second), OPS (second), slugging percentage (second), extra-base hits (tied for second, 75), home runs (tied for fifth) and RBI (tied for 10th).

The two-time World Series MVP batted .318 w/ six home runs and 12 RBI in 17 postseason games. His MVP award made him the fourth player in MLB history to win multiple World Series MVP awards: Sandy Koufax (1965, 1963), Bob Gibson (1967, 1964) and Reggie Jackson (1977, 1973).

Postseason BBWAA Award Winners

American League

MVP: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels

Rookie of the Year: Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore.

Cy Young: Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees.

Manager of the Year: Brandon Hyde, Baltimore.

National League

MVP: Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta

Rookie of the Year: Corbin Carroll, Arizona.

Cy Young: Blake Snell, San Diego.

Manager of the Year: Skip Schumaker, Miami.

Will Evan Carter be Next Rookie of Year?

You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.

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