Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani had one of the best years of his career, individually speaking.
In virtually five months, he was able to hit 44 home runs, drive in 95 runs, steal 20 bases, score 102 times, and hit .304/.412/.654 with a 1.066 OPS.
Imagine what he could have done if a strained oblique wouldn’t have robbed him of the full month of September.
As a result of his incredible performance, Ohtani is the favorite to lift his second AL MVP trophy.
But that’s not all: he was announced in the past few hours as the winner of one of the American League Silver Slugger awards, specifically for the designated hitter position.
The Angels, his former team – he is currently a free agent after wearing LA’s uniform since 2018 – congratulated him for his achievement.
Congratulations to Shohei Ohtani on his second career Silver Slugger Award! pic.twitter.com/U7XUDNY8Ri
— Los Angeles Angels (@Angels) November 9, 2023
It’s the second Silver Slugger for the two-way star after the one he won in 2021.
Ohtani led the majors with a 184 OPS+, and his .412 on-base percentage and 325 total bases paced the American League.
The fact he did all this is very impressive, but doing it while performing like a top-shelf pitcher makes it unique.
As stated, Ohtani is well on his way to earning a second MVP award barring a shocking surprise.
Texas Rangers slugger Corey Seager and Marcus Semien are also in contention for the award, and even though they were incredibly impressive – particularly Seager – the award should go to Ohtani.
Even though Ohtani won’t pitch in 2024, he will be signing the largest contract in baseball history during the 2023-24 offseason.
The post Shohei Ohtani Takes Home His First Award Of The Offseason appeared first on The Cold Wire.