Ohtani clinches third MVP, cements place in MLB history
Since joining the Major Leagues in 2018, Shohei Ohtani has continuously rewritten baseball history. Now, he has added yet another milestone to his remarkable career.
Ohtani just completed the most dominant offensive season of his career, becoming the first player ever to enter the exclusive 50-50 club. On Thursday, he earned the third BBWAA Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award of his career, making him the first full-time designated hitter to achieve this feat.
He now joins the elite company of players with three or more MVPs, a list that includes Barry Bonds (seven MVPs), along with legends like Jimmie Foxx, Joe DiMaggio, Stan Musial, Roy Campanella, Yogi Berra, Mickey Mantle, Mike Schmidt, Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols, and former teammate Mike Trout, who all have three MVPs to their name.
So, with Ohtani adding to his trophy collection, how does he stack up on the all-time MVP leaderboard? Here’s a breakdown:
Ohtani is now tied with Mike Trout and 10 other players for the second-most MVP awards since 1931. Here’s a complete look at players with multiple MVPs, as documented by MLB.com:
Barry Bonds made history with an unmatched seven MVP Awards. His first came in 1990 with the Pirates, when he hit .301/.406/.565 with 33 home runs and 52 steals. Bonds added two more MVPs with Pittsburgh, including his .311/.456/.624 season in 1992, which featured 34 home runs and 39 steals.
After joining the Giants, Bonds delivered one of the greatest stretches of offensive dominance ever seen, winning four consecutive MVPs from 2001-04. This run included his record-setting 73-home-run season in 2001. Over his 22-year career, Bonds set records for 762 home runs, 2,558 walks, and 688 intentional walks.
Widely regarded as the most talented player in baseball history, Ohtani has redefined what it means to be a two-way player. He secured two unanimous MVP awards in his first six seasons with the Angels, excelling as both an elite power hitter and a dominant starting pitcher. Each of those MVP campaigns included at least 40 home runs, a .950 OPS, and a 140+ ERA over more than 130 innings pitched.
In 2024, after signing with the Dodgers and recovering from Tommy John surgery, Ohtani continued to shine. Even playing exclusively as a designated hitter, he earned another unanimous MVP award, becoming only the second player to win MVPs in both the American and National Leagues, alongside Frank Robinson.
Trout is one of the most consistent MVP performers in history, finishing in the top two of AL MVP voting seven times in an eight-season span. His 2019 season, despite being cut short by a foot injury, saw him hit .291/.438/.645 with 45 home runs, good for 8.6 fWAR in just 134 games. Furthermore, Trout now shares the second-most top-two MVP finishes in MLB history with Stan Musial and Albert Pujols, trailing only Barry Bonds’ nine.
Pujols established himself as a generational hitter from his rookie season. His first MVP Award in 2005 came after a stellar .330/.430/.609 campaign with 41 home runs. He then followed it up with back-to-back MVP wins in 2008 and 2009, combining for a staggering .342/.452/.656 slash line and 84 home runs over those two seasons.
Rodriguez won his first MVP in 2003 with the Rangers, hitting .298/.396/.600 with 47 home runs. He later added two more MVPs with the Yankees, including a career-best 1.067 OPS in 2007, when he hit 54 home runs and drove in 156 RBIs.
So, Shohei Ohtani’s ability to dominate as both a hitter and a pitcher has carved out a unique space for him in baseball’s history books. With three MVPs under his belt and plenty of years ahead, his place among the all-time greats seems firmly secured.
Image: © Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images
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