LAS VEGAS — By definition, it doesn’t get much more valuable than what Shohei Ohtani brings to the table, impacting the game at the plate and on the mound — and doing both at an elite level. And for the third year in a row, the Dodgers’ two-way superstar has some hardware to show for it.
Ohtani was unanimously named the National League MVP on Thursday night, as voted by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America and announced on MLB Network. He beat out runner-up Kyle Schwarber of the Phillies and third-place finisher Juan Soto of the Mets for the fourth MVP Award of his Major League career, and his second in as many seasons as a Dodger.
“The biggest thing,” Ohtani said through an interpreter of this 2025 win, “is obviously being able to win the World Series. That’s first and foremost. You know, it’s icing on the cake just to be able to get an individual award, being crowned MVP, but I just really appreciate the support from all my teammates, everybody around me, my supporting staff.”
Before Ohtani, no player in any of the Big Four North American professional sports leagues — MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL — had won MVP and a championship in each of his first two seasons with a team, according to OptaSTATS.
That’s not the only way in which Ohtani has established himself as one of one, even among baseball’s best. There have been nearly a century’s worth of MVPs since the BBWAA began voting on the award in 1931, and Ohtani is in historic territory with his fourth nod:
When Ohtani was rehabbing from a second major surgery on his elbow in 2024, he became the first full-time designated hitter to win an MVP Award. In ’25, he put up another extraordinary season as a hitter — and returned to the mound, becoming a fully actualized two-way player once more.
Ohtani led the NL with a 1.014 OPS and a 179 OPS+, slugging a career-high 55 homers — second only to Schwarber’s 56 in the Senior Circuit. He also led the Majors with 146 runs scored, an L.A.-era Dodgers record and two shy of the overall franchise record set in 1890.
For much of the year — even once he was officially a part of the Dodgers’ six-man rotation — Ohtani was also completing his rehab from elbow surgery. After going nearly two years without throwing a pitch in a game, Ohtani threw live batting practice to hitters only three times before returning to the mound in June.
Ohtani was essentially rehabbing at the big league level, but he showed few signs of rust, going 1-1 with a 2.87 ERA across 14 starts (47 innings) in a strictly regimented buildup. He struck out 62 against nine walks and posted a 145 ERA+.
“It was different this year coming back from injury,” Ohtani said. “I hope to begin the next season pitching off the mound.
“They’re both equally difficult, being a hitter and a pitcher. But this year, because I was coming off rehab from [right elbow surgery], and I also had surgery on my left shoulder, a lot of the focus was on being able to get back on the mound and being able to pitch. So I think in that sense this year the difficulty was more on the pitching side.”
Between his two-way duties, Ohtani ranked among the top players in the Majors on both WAR leaderboards: second overall with 9.4, according to FanGraphs, and third with 7.7, according to Baseball Reference.
After a stellar first year in Dodger blue, Ohtani’s legend only continued to grow in his second year. Those around him have come to expect brilliance whenever he takes the field, and he usually manages to exceed those lofty expectations.
