Shohei Ohtani was named National League Most Valuable Player on Thursday, capturing all 30 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America in the wake of another dynamic offensive season that included a successful return to pitching and was once again capped by a championship.
Ohtani has won four MVPs over the past five years, all of them in unprecedented fashion. Only Barry Bonds has more with seven.
Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber finished second, and Juan Soto of the New York Mets came in third. Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo and Phillies shortstop Trea Turner rounded out the voting.
“It’s truly an honor,” Ohtani said on MLB Network through an interpreter. “Before I say that, I wanted to just give a big shout out to Juan Soto and Schwarber; they had amazing seasons, as well. They helped bring the best out of me in competition.”
Ohtani, 31, had already joined Hall of Famer Frank Robinson as the only players to win MVP in both the American and National Leagues. He’s also the only player among the four major American professional sports with more than one unanimous MVP. Now, Ohtani is the first player in MLB, NBA, NHL and NFL history to win both an MVP and a championship in each of his first two seasons with a team, according to ESPN Research.
Ohtani joined the Dodgers on a heavily deferred 10-year, $700 million contract in December 2023, then went on to charter the 50/50 club and starred as the leadoff hitter during their march toward a World Series title in 2024, ultimately becoming the first full-time designated hitter to win an MVP.
In 2025, Ohtani was just as impactful offensively, slashing .282/.392/.622 while amassing 55 home runs, setting a franchise record for a second straight year. This time, however, he layered his prowess as a hitter with a return to pitching.
Ohtani came back from a second repair of his ulnar collateral ligament to make 14 regular-season starts for the Dodgers this season, posting a 2.87 ERA with 62 strikeouts in 47 innings.
In October, he further cemented his legacy as the game’s greatest player. While leading the Dodgers to a second consecutive pennant in Game 4 of the NL Championship Series, Ohtani pitched six scoreless innings, striking out 10, and added three home runs. In Game 3 of the World Series, which stretched to 18 innings, he reached base all nine times he came to bat, four by intentional walk.
“The biggest thing obviously is being able to win the World Series,” Ohtani said. “That’s first and foremost. It’s icing on the cake just to be able to get an individual award, being crowned MVP. But I’m just thankful for the support from all my teammates, everybody around me, my support staff.”
Since the start of 2021, when he fully began his run as a two-way player while with the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani has compiled a major league-leading 44.4 FanGraphs wins above replacement. Second on that list is New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge with 42.8.
