Baseball: Ohtani locked in close MVP race with Cubs' emerging superstar
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- After collecting his fourth unanimous MVP award last year, Shohei Ohtani is facing his strongest challenge to be named National Leagu
Shohei Ohtani, the Los Angeles Dodgers star, is facing intense competition for the National League MVP title from Chicago Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong. Last year, Ohtani won his fourth unanimous MVP award, but his current challenge stems from a left knee injury that has limited his pitching duties this season. As a result, Crow-Armstrong has emerged as a strong contender, leading in multiple batting categories, defense, and base-running.
Both players have similar offensive statistics, with batting averages and home run counts in the 30s, and RBIs in the 80s. However, Crow-Armstrong's WAR, a metric measuring overall player value, surpasses Ohtani's. Advanced statistics site FanGraphs currently ranks Ohtani at 7.0 and Crow-Armstrong at 8.6. Crow-Armstrong's exceptional defense, including multiple spectacular catches, and his ability to steal more than 30 bases have bolstered his MVP candidacy.
Despite their impressive performances, Ohtani and Crow-Armstrong expressed mutual respect for each other's abilities. Crow-Armstrong's ultimate goal is to defeat the Dodgers in the playoffs, seeing it as more meaningful than simply sharing the spotlight with Ohtani. With Ohtani's return to pitching potentially as early as Sunday, his two-way performance could prove crucial in his pursuit of a fifth MVP award.
Written by urgent.news from The Mainichi's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
