Shohei Ohtani Poised for Historic Fourth MVP Award After Stellar Two-Way Season

Shohei Ohtani is set to capture his fourth career MVP Award, his second in the National League, following a remarkable 2025 season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. As a designated hitter, Ohtani posted a .282/.374/.582 slash line with 55 home runs, 102 RBI, a 179 OPS+, and 6.6 bWAR. He also made a modest pitching contribution after Tommy John surgery, going 1-1 with a 2.87 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 47 innings, adding 1.1 bWAR. Despite being "more beatable" than his historic 2024 season (54 HR, 59 SB, 130 RBI) and finishing with 20 steals after shoulder surgery, Ohtani's overall performance positions him to join Barry Bonds as the only player to win MVP three years in a row (2023-2025). He has won all three previous MVP awards unanimously and could make it a fourth, moving into second place on the all-time MVP list. This would mark the Dodgers' 14th MVP winner.