LOS ANGELES (SNN-TV) – Shohei Ohtani, coming off a largely unprecedented 2021 season, was crowned the American League’s Most Valuable Player unanimously on Thursday.
The Los Angeles Angels’ two-way star claimed all 30 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America and became the fifth unanimous MVP since 2000, joining Mike Trout(2014), Albert Pujols (2009), Barry Bonds (2002) and Bryce Harper.
Ohtani, 27, amassed 46 home runs and made 23 starts for an otherwise lowly Angels team. Offensively, he posted a .965 OPS (second-highest in the AL), added eight triples (tied for the major league lead) and stole 26 bases. He became the sixth player in history with at least 45 homers and at least 25 stolen bases in the same season, joining a decorated list of names that includes Alfonso Soriano, Chipper Jones, Jose Canseco, Larry Walker and Bonds.
Ohtani also compiled 130 1/3 innings on the mound, and boasted a 3.18 ERA with 156 strikeouts and 44 walks. Among those with at least 120 innings in 2021, Ohtani ranked within the top 14% in strikeout percentage, the top 19% in opponents’ slugging percentage and the top 16% in expected fielding independent pitching. All told, Ohtani was worth 9.1 WAR, far more than anybody else in the sport.