Shohei Ohtani enters Monday night’s game against the Chicago Cubs with 46 home runs and 46 stolen bases. He’s setting records nearly every game and he is the favorite to win the National League MVP.
He is also doing this while rehabbing his second Tommy John surgery and as a designated hitter.
Ohtani has commanded the spotlight all season beginning with his 10-year, $700 million contract that he signed in the offseason. Once he stepped on the field, the spotlight got brighter and it continues to get hotter as he inches closer to baseball’s first 50-50 season.
The Dodgers’ DH has also caught the attention of Baseball Hall of Famer David Ortiz, but not in the way one would think.
Ortiz was primarily a designated hitter during a career that spanned two decades. He never won an American League MVP award. His apparent jealousy came through in recent comments reported by Marca.com.
“They always had ‘issues’ not to give me the MVP because I was a designated hitter. I’m going to see what they’re going to say this year when Ohtani, the ‘pretty girl’ of MLB, is in the race,” Ortiz said.
Ortiz has somewhat of an argument with home runs and runs batted in. Ohtani eclipsed 100 RBIs for the first time in his career this season while Ortiz’s best season was in 2005 when he drove in 148.
The glaring omission from Ortiz is the stolen base category. He had 17 in his entire career.
Ortiz also blamed a media campaign that, according to him, is pushing Shohei Ohtani to reach historical achievements while leaving players like Francisco Lindor behind.
“Every day they are encouraging Ohtani to reach 50-50, while players like Francisco Lindor are being held back,” Ortiz said.
With this home run, Shohei Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to have 45 home runs and 45 stolen bases in the same season.
It also put him at 100 RBIs on the year.
Just an unbelievable talent and an incredible season in his first year with the Dodgers. pic.twitter.com/d0M2j20lpG
— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) September 7, 2024
Is Lindor having a good season? Yes. Would the Mets be fighting for a Wild Card spot without him? No.
However, the same could be said for Ohtani. Would the Dodgers be the best team in baseball without him? Probably not, considering all their injuries.
As of Sept. 6, Ohtani had a Wins Above Replacement (bWAR) of 7.0, surpassing Ortiz’s career-high of 6.4 from 2007, according to Baseball Reference. Despite this, Ortiz argued that MVP promotion should be fair and not influenced by media hype.
At the end of the season, the MVP will be awarded to the player most deserving and right now, it’s hard to argue that the sport’s first 46-46, potentially 50-50, season won’t win.
