Ohtani unanimously wins AL MVP after historic 2-way season
Shohei Ohtani's coronation is complete.
Ohtani is the unanimous winner of the 2021 American League MVP following his historic two-way campaign for the Los Angeles Angels.
He's the 11th unanimous choice for AL MVP and the first since his teammate Mike Trout in 2014.
It’s been something special to witness what you’ve accomplished as a teammate. You have put together a season of your own…
— Mike Trout (@MikeTrout) November 18, 2021
WELL DESERVED, #SHOTIME!!! #MVP pic.twitter.com/9gycPnk6MA
Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr. finished a distant second, garnering 29 of 30 second-place votes, while fellow Blue Jay Marcus Semien was voted third. Salvador Perez received the only other second-place vote. Ohtani, Guerrero, Semien, and Aaron Judge were the only players named on every ballot.
| PLAYER | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohtani | 30 | 420 | ||
| Guerrero | 29 | 1 | 269 | |
| Semien | 24 | 232 | ||
| Judge | 3 | 171 | ||
| Correa | 163 |
Ohtani made jaws drop all season with his unprecedented two-way abilities. As the Angels' designated hitter, he hit .257/.372/.592 with 46 homers, 100 RBIs, 26 doubles, a league-leading eight triples, and 26 stolen bases. He's the sixth player ever to record a 40-homer, 25-steal season. From an offensive standpoint, he's the first full-time DH to be named MVP and only the fifth to garner a top-two finish.
On the mound, he went 9-2 with a 3.18 ERA, 3.52 FIP, 1.09 WHIP, and 156 strikeouts across 23 starts. Ohtani's 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings ranked better than all but three qualified AL pitchers. He's one of 15 pitchers ever to earn AL MVP honors and the first since Justin Verlander in 2011.
The 27-year-old is staying modest despite his incredible accomplishments.
#Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani, on how he's going to celebrate his AL MVP Award: "I don’t really have any special plans. Probably going to spend a lonely night at home. But actually, my mom and sister are in town, so will probably see them."
— Mike DiGiovanna (@MikeDiGiovanna) November 19, 2021
Ohtani is the fourth different Angels player to win MVP, joining Don Baylor (1979), Vladimir Guerrero Sr. (2004), and Trout (2014, 2016, 2019). "Sho-time" also became the second Japanese player to win an MVP in the majors after Ichiro Suzuki accomplished the feat in 2001.
Jose Ramirez, Perez, Matt Olson, Cedric Mullins, and Brandon Lowe rounded out the top 10 vote-getters.
Trout, meanwhile, didn't receive an MVP vote for the first time since 2012 after a calf injury limited him to 36 games.