Shohei Ohtani has become one of, if not the most, popular and well known baseball players in all of MLB, thanks to his breakout season in 2021 and subsequent start seasons.
It was a slow and steady build up from his debut season in 2018 that earned him American League Rookie of the Year, and considering the exciting brand of baseball he plays, it’s pretty easy to understand why so many fans love Ohtani.
Ohtani’s ability to excel as both a batter and pitcher makes it easy for the casual and hardcore baseball fan gravitate to gravitate toward him. Now a two-time unanimous AL MVP, his popularity within the sport has reached new heights both in the United States, his home country of Japan, and across the rest of the globe.
He finished the 2023 season with the most popular jersey in the league and that has continued into the first half of 2024, which means that Ohtani remains the first Japanese player to lead the list since MLB and the Major League Baseball Players Association began releasing jersey rankings data in 2010.
Ohtani’s chances of repeating in 2024 got off to a fast start when he broke Fanatics’ all-time record for highest sales within the first 48 hours of a jersey release after signing with the Dodgers.
Already a beloved ballplayer in Japan before coming over to MLB, outselling his contemporaries there is a given, but Ohtani’s jersey has also become the go-to choice on a global scale.
Other names that appear in the top 20 most popular jerseys in 2024 are his teammates Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman at No. 4 and No. 20 respectively. In fact, Dodgers have the most players represented in the top-20 best selling jerseys so far in 2024 thanks to their superstar trio.
Bryce Harper and Aaron Jude round out the top-3 behind Ohtani on the list at No. 2 and No. 3 respectively.
Shohei Ohtani tops list of most popular MLB jerseys in 2024
Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers
Bryce Harper, Philadelphia Phillies
Aaron Judge, New York Yankees
Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers
Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta Braves
Juan Soto, Yankees
Francisco Lindor, New York Mets
Fernando Tatis Jr., San Diego Padres
Corey Seager, Texas Rangers
Jose Altuve, Houston Astros
Nolan Arenado, St. Louis Cardinals
Pete Alonso, Mets
Trea Turner, Phillies
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays
Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati Reds
Adley Rutschman, Baltimore Orioles
Matt Olson, Braves
Manny Machado, Padres
Bo Bichette, Blue Jays
Freddie Freeman, Dodgers
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