Alden GonzalezNov 13, 2025, 07:24 PM ETCloseESPN baseball reporter. Covered the L.A. Rams for ESPN from 2016 to 2018 and the L.A. Angels for MLB.com from 2012 to 2016.Follow on X
Shohei Ohtani voted unanimous NL MVP (2:22)Shohei Ohtani wins the National League MVP Award, his fourth MVP in five years. (2:22)
Shohei Ohtani was named National League MVP on Thursday, capturing all 30 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America in the wake of another dynamic offensive season that included a successful return to pitching and was once again capped by a championship.
Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber garnered 23 of the second-place votes from the BBWAA, with New York Mets outfielder Juan Soto (four) and Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Geraldo Perdomo (three) accruing the rest. Ohtani has won four MVPs over the past five years, all of them in unanimous fashion. Only Barry Bonds has more with seven.
“It’s definitely special,” Ohtani, speaking through an interpreter, said on a conference call. “It makes it special because it was unanimous, and I would like to thank all the writers for voting for me.”
Ohtani, 31, had already joined Hall of Famer Frank Robinson as the only players to win MVP in both leagues and the only player among the four major American professional sports with more than one unanimous MVP. Now he is the first player in MLB, NBA, NHL and NFL history to win both an MVP and a championship in each of his first two seasons with a team, according to ESPN Research.
Since the start of 2021, when he fully began his run as a two-way player while with the Los Angeles Angels, Ohtani has compiled a major league-leading 44.4 FanGraphs wins above replacement. Second on that list is New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, who edged out Seattle Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh for the AL MVP, with 42.8.
Ohtani has only been with the Dodgers two years and is already the first in franchise history to capture multiple MVPs while playing for the team. After six years in which he missed out on relevant, late-season baseball while with the floundering Angels, Ohtani is more proud of the back-to-back championships that have been tied to that.
Shohei Ohtani voted unanimous NL MVP (2:22)Shohei Ohtani wins the National League MVP Award, his fourth MVP in five years. (2:22)
Ohtani joined the Los Angeles Dodgers on a heavily deferred 10-year, $700 million contract in December of 2023, then went on to charter the 50/50 club and starred as the team’s leadoff hitter during their march toward a World Series title in 2024, ultimately becoming the first full-time designated hitter to win an MVP.
Shohei Ohtani wins the National League MVP Award, his fourth MVP in five years. (2:22)
CloseESPN baseball reporter. Covered the L.A. Rams for ESPN from 2016 to 2018 and the L.A. Angels for MLB.com from 2012 to 2016.Follow on X