With the 2024 MLB season now in its final month, debates for the season’s award winners have ramped up with the National League MVP at the forefront of discussions.
Shohei Ohtani remains the favorite for the award, and has long been the favorite during the season, due to his historic performance while leading the Los Angeles Dodgers to another all but certain postseason berth.
However, some other names for the MVP award have been in the mix, including the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Ketel Marte and the New York Mets’ Francisco Lindor. The latter has recieved far more support recently, namely from Mets fans and people on the East Coast.
The main argument for Lindor is based on his defensive contributions, with the argument being that a full-time designated hitter such as Ohtani isn’t on the field for the majority of the game, so they can’t be the most valuable player in the league.
That is a sentiment Freddie Freeman has held throughout his career, but Ohtani has changed his mind, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“I always thought that (a DH shouldn’t win the MVP award),” said Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman, who made two starts at DH while winning the NL award with Atlanta in 2020. “But the things he’s doing this year, it’s hard to argue against it.”
Lindor has had a fantastic season that is worthy of recognition. He’s produced great offensive numbers while playing elite defense at a premium position, making him invaluable to the Mets this year.
However, they remain on the outside looking in of a playoff spot, which has often times kept players from winning an MVP award.
The Dodgers own the best record in MLB while also leading in players lost due to injury with Ohtani being the only constant for the club.
And despite not playing defense, Ohtani leads the NL in WAR, according to Baseball Reference’s calculation, and slightly trails Lindor by Fangraphs’s calculation, an impressive feat that few other players could accomplish.
What Ohtani is doing as a hitter is truly remarkable. He’s on pace to become the first 50-50 player in MLB history, and he’s already become the only player to reach at least 43 homers and 43 stolen bases in a single season:
“I think as baseball people it’s hard to view a DH as winning MVP. But you look up and he has a chance to do something no one’s done before,” Freeman said. “I’ve always thought it would be hard for a DH to win. He’s only out there for four or five at-bats (per game). But when you can potentially go 50-50, we might have to re-think that. It would be different if someone else playing was having a ridiculous year too.”
If Ohtani wins the NL MVP award, he would become the first player in MLB history to win as a DH. He would also join Frank Robinson as the only player to win the award in both the American League and the NL, and the sixth player to win with multiple teams.
Ohtani has two MVP awards to his name already, and only 11 players in history have won the award three times or more. Barry Bonds holds the record with seven.
Shohei Ohtani excited to be part of playoff picture
Ohtani spent the first six seasons of his MLB career with the Los Angeles Angels and set multiple records as a two-way player, but never got to experience October baseball.
With just over three weeks remaining in the regular season, they are in the driver’s seat to capture another division title and Ohtani said he has enjoyed being part of a playoff race for the first time in his career.
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