Ohtani joins elite company with 3rd straight Edgar Martínez Outstanding DH Award

It's time for Shohei Ohtani to make more room in his trophy case.

Ohtani won his third consecutive Edgar Martínez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award Thursday, putting him in rare company at the position. The Los Angeles Angels superstar joins Hall of Famer David Ortiz, an eight-time winner of this award, as the only designated hitters to claim the honor in three straight seasons.

Ohtani also becomes the fourth slugger with at least three DH-of-the-year trophies. The others are Ortiz, Hal McRae, and Martínez, who won five before MLB renamed the award in his honor in 2004.

Despite playing only 135 games for the Angels due to injuries, 2023 was Ohtani's best year in the majors. The 29-year-old hit a career-best .304/.412/.654 with 44 homers and 95 RBIs. He led the majors in OBP, slugging, OPS (1.066), OPS+ (184), and total bases (325) and topped the AL in homers, extra-base hits (78) and fWAR (6.6). Ohtani also stole 20 bases and scored over 100 runs for the second time in his career.

His dominant offensive season and excellent pitching for the Angels before suffering an elbow injury helped him unanimously earn the AL MVP earlier in November. Ohtani is the only player ever to win two MVPs unanimously.

Ohtani is now a free agent and is expected to sign one of the most lucrative contracts in baseball history this offseason.

Atlanta Braves slugger Marcell Ozuna, winner of the 2020 Martínez Award, was the runner-up for this year's honor, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Houston's Yordan Alvarez, Philadelphia's Bryce Harper, and the Dodgers' J.D. Martinez also reportedly received votes.