Shohei Ohtani's historic 2021 MLB season has been recognized with the Japanese superstar nabbing the prestigious Most Valuable Player award in the American League. Ohtani made history with his victory on Thursday night as he became just the 19th player in the majors to win the MVP award by a unanimous vote.
Ohtani receives all 30 first-place votes from BBWAA
Ohtani garnered all 30 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers' Association of America to grab the maximum 420 points. Coming in second was Toronto Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who nabbed 29 of the 30 second-place votes by the BBWAA. Marcus Semien, who played alongside Guerrero in Toronto, came in third place after receiving 24 of those votes.
Ohtani became just the fifth unanimous MVP since 2000, joining Barry Bonds (2002), Albert Pujols (2009), Angels teammate Mike Trout (2014) and Bryce Harper (2015) in that exclusive list. Coincidentally, Harper won his second MVP award on Thursday, capturing the top individual prize in the National League.
All eyes were on Ohtani, though, who captured the imagination of sports fans everywhere with his incredible two-way play this season. Ohtani dazzled both at the plate and on the mound, amassing 46 home runs and making 23 starts for the Angels, who failed to make the playoffs for the seventh consecutive season.
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Ohtani dazzles with incredible two-way play in 2021
That did not deter the voters, however, from handing Ohtani the MVP award as the Japanese star showed his tremendous value to the team with his outstanding hitting and pitching. Apart from finishing third in the home run race, Ohtani also posted a .965 OPS, which was second highest in the AL, and recorded 100 RBIs.
He also showed his remarkable speed, tying the major league lead with eight triples and stealing 26 bases. Ohtani became just the sixth player in MLB history with at least 25 stolen bases and at least 45 home runs in a single season, joining Bonds, Jose Canseco, Larry Walker, Alfonso Soriano and Chipper Jones in that decorated list.
Ohtani was also the first player in American League or National League history with at least 45 homers, 25 stolen bases and five triples in the same season.
Ohtani's hitting accomplishments would have been enough for him to capture the AL MVP award this season. What sets him apart from the other MVP candidates, though, is his pitching ability. He pitched 130 1/3 innings as a starter for the Angels in the 2021 season, recording a 3.18 ERA with 156 strikeouts and just 44 walks. Ohtani finished the season with a 9-2 record.
Ohtani ranked within the top 14% in strikeout percentage among pitchers with at least 120 innings this season. That lethal combination of great pitching and superb hitting gave Ohtani 9.1 Baseball-Reference wins above replacement, far more than the numbers posted by the other MVP candidates.
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