Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani barely played in September.
His elbow and his oblique are both hurt, so he was shut down for the year a couple of weeks ago.
That didn’t stop him from leading a cool ranking in MLB, though: the most popular jersey.
Per MLB, Ohtani’s was the most popular jersey in baseball in 2023, which is not surprising given his global star status.
Shohei Ohtani leads the way with the most popular jersey in 2023.
Which jerseys did you grab this season? pic.twitter.com/DclvLQYVrU
— MLB (@MLB) September 29, 2023
Ronald Acuña Jr. and his stellar campaign with the Atlanta Braves was good enough for second place on the list, and New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge is third.
NL West performers Fernando Tatis Jr. and Mookie Betts, in that order, complete the top five.
Given the popularity peak that Ohtani reached in the World Baseball Classic, it’s not surprising to see him leading the list.
In March, Ohtani led Japan to its record third WBC title and was the MVP of the tournament.
Then he reported to spring training and put together an MVP-caliber season with the Angels: a 1.066 OPS, 44 home runs, and 20 stolen bases as a hitter, plus a 3.14 ERA, 167 strikeouts, and a 1.06 WHIP as a pitcher.
He was so good in the summer that we don’t need his hypothetical September performance to declare him as the easy MVP favorite in the American League.
There have been some brilliant players this year in baseball, but no one can impact a game in so many different ways as Ohtani.
No wonder he has the most frequently sold MLB jersey: adults love and admire him, and children want to be like him.
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