New Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani had a historic campaign in 2023, only comparable to what he did in 2021.
As a hitter, he slashed an impressive .304/.412/.654 with 44 home runs, 95 RBI, 102 runs scored, 20 stolen bases, and a 1.066 OPS in virtually five months, since he missed most of September with a pair of injuries.
He also dominated from the mound: in 132 frames, he struck out 167 hitters and posted a 3.14 ERA with a 1.06 WHIP.
No player has ever been as good as him at both activities at the same time and in the same season.
Thanks to his historic performance, he has won a myriad of awards this year.
He was named the AL MVP over Corey Seager of the Texas Rangers, and also won a Silver Slugger award as a designated hitter.
He was also the Hank Aaron award winner, an All-Star, a member of the All-MLB First Team, and the MVP of the World Baseball Classic.
You can go ahead and add another major recognition, as revealed on Friday.
“For the second time in three years, Shohei Ohtani has been named the AP Male Athlete of the Year,” MLB tweeted.
For the second time in three years, Shohei Ohtani has been named the AP Male Athlete of the Year. pic.twitter.com/XdjA8CYVNJ
— MLB (@MLB) December 21, 2023
Not only is Ohtani competing with his fellow baseball players: he is now doing it (successfully) against world-class athletes.
The new Dodgers star got 20 of a possible 87 votes from a panel of sports media professionals.
He eclipsed soccer star Lionel Messi and tennis legend Novak Djokovic, each with 16 votes.
Denver Nuggets center and NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic received 12 votes.
Ohtani might have just had one of the most impressive individual performances in professional sports, let alone baseball.
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