Shohei Ohtani (29, Los Angeles Angels) is putting together another historic season. Since becoming a full-fledged two-hitter in 2021, Ohtani has continued to excel at both the plate and at the plate, as if this year is the completion of his cartoonish baseball career.카지노사이트
In 2021, when he was fully recovered from his elbow surgery and his two-hitter was unsealed, he was a bit more dominant as a hitter. Ohtani was named the American League’s unanimous Most Valuable Player (MVP) after batting .257 with 46 home runs, 100 RBIs and a .965 OPS in 155 games in 2021. On the mound, he went 9-2 with a 3.18 ERA. However, he only pitched 130⅓ innings in 23 games, well short of the required 162 innings.
In 2022, it was the opposite. If anything, he stood out more as a pitcher. In 2022, Ohtani went 15-9 with a 2.33 ERA in his first full season of regulation innings pitched (166). He was a Cy Young candidate as a pitcher alone, and actually finished fourth in the American League Cy Young voting.
However, his production as a hitter was down from 2021. Last year, in 157 healthy games, Ohtani hit just .273 with 34 home runs, 95 RBIs, and an OPS of 0.875. It was an All-Star calibre performance, but not as good as 2021, and he had to watch Aaron Judge (New York Yankees) win the MVP award after a historic home run pace.
But this year is different. Ohtani is performing well as both a pitcher and a hitter. On the mound, he’s 10-5 with a 3.17 ERA in 22 games. He has already thrown 130⅔ innings and struck out 165 batters. He’s on pace to surpass last year’s numbers in both innings pitched and strikeouts. As a hitter, he has an insane .305 batting average, 40 home runs, 83 RBIs, and a 1.071 OPS in 115 games. That’s enough to make him an MVP contender on his own.
In fact, Ohtani leads the American League in home runs, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, and OPS. He’s also in the hunt for a triple-double, something he’s never done before. His home run pace has slowed a bit recently, but the power is still there. It was on full display against Houston on the 13th.
Ohtani, the only candidate for the American League Triple Crown
Shohei Ohtani
Batting second in the lineup, Ohtani went 1-for-4 with a home run and a run scored. It was a somewhat disappointing performance, but one hit was impressive: a bullet. In the sixth inning, he hit a double off the fence that reached a whopping 118.3 mph (190.4 km/h). It was the second-fastest hit of the season. It was an incredible shot that made it to the fence before the fans and commentators had time to gasp. With a slightly higher launch angle, it could have been a home run.
While National League ‘representative’ Matt Olson (Atlanta) is ahead in the overall home run race, at least in the American League, there’s no real contender to catch Ohtani. His balanced approach to both pitching and hitting is the reason why the odds are favouring Ohtani to win his second unanimous MVP award in 2021. No player in Major League Baseball history has ever been a two-time unanimous MVP. Ohtani is poised to make history.
Even if Ohtani were to go out for the season, there is no one else who could match him in Wins Above Replacement (WAR). According to Baseball Reference, Ohtani has a WAR of 5.5 as a hitter and 3.5 as a pitcher. That’s already a combined 9.0. A WAR of 9 is enough to win most MVPs.
Ohtani’s stellar performance has led to something unusual in the betting industry. The bookies have “declared” Ohtani the MVP even though the season hasn’t ended yet. This is one of the few times in Major League Baseball history that this has happened, and it’s even more unusual given that the season is still a long way off.
Usually, the betting industry releases pre-season MVP prediction products. They put odds on each MVP candidate to attract bettors. These MVP odds are constantly adjusted based on seasonal performance. After the season, the payout is based on the actual MVP winner. This is a typical outright product that is launched with a one-year horizon.
However, since it was already clear that Ohtani was going to win the award, some companies stopped selling it altogether and simply paid out dividends to those who bet on Ohtani. One such company is sports bookmaker PointBet. PointBet has declared Ohtani the MVP and is no longer selling the product. Many believe that the MVP voting is already over as Ohtani has not been traded to the National League. It’s a testament to his greatness.
Shohei Ohtani