Scandal aside, Shohei Ohtani’s first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers has gone about as well as anyone could have reasonably expected. That continued on Saturday.
The Dodgers’ designated hitter stole his 29th, 30th and 31st bases of the season in a 10-0 rout of the Oakland Athletics. With his home run total at 33 on the season, Ohtani posted his first 30-30 season of his career.
It is also the fourth 30-30 season in Dodgers history, joining Matt Kemp in 2011 and Raul Mondesi in 1997 and 1999.
By David Adler of MLB.comOhtani is the third-fastest player to accomplish the feat in American League and National League history, just one game shy of tying Alex Rodriguez for second place.
1. Eric Davis, 1987 Reds: 90 games played
2. Alex Rodriguez, 1998 Mariners: 107 games played
3. Shohei Ohtani, 2024 Dodgers: 108 games played
4. Bobby Bonds, 1973 Giants: 108 games played
5. José Canseco, Atlético de 1988: 110 games played
Ohtani’s 2-for-5 night at the plate was part of a big night for the Dodgers, who entered Saturday having lost five of their last six games and clinging to a four-game lead in the NL West. It was a successful debut for trade deadline acquisition Jack Flaherty, who pitched six scoreless innings and struck out seven.
Shohei Ohtani’s case as MVP is taking shape
Ohtani came into this season with a clear understanding that he was still recovering from last year’s elbow surgery and wouldn’t be able to pitch until 2025. With his increased production on the bases, he’s offsetting at least some of that latter value.
His 31 stolen bases are a career-high with nearly two months left in the season. It’s always been a bit unfair that Ohtani can be so fast at 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, with sprint speeds well above the MLB average, but he’s clearly focused on expanding that part of his game since joining the Dodgers.
“Obviously, he wasn’t going to be a pitcher this year,” manager Dave Roberts said. “He was very focused on (vice president of player performance) Brandon McDaniel and his staff, and keeping his body in a good position to use his legs. He was very excited to be able to run freely. Obviously, we knew he was going to hit home runs.”
Ohtani currently leads the National League in home runs and is second in MLB behind Aaron Judge. He is third in stolen bases and is hitting .309/.400/.627. All three marks also lead the league, as does his 84 runs scored.
More advanced stats experts like him, too. Baseball Reference pegs his WAR at 5.9, the highest in the National League. Fangraphs also gives him the edge.
It’s tough to win the MVP award as a designated hitter, but Ohtani has clearly been the best hitter in the league this season and the cornerstone of a Dodgers lineup that is currently missing All-Stars Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy. The Dodgers have been absolutely plagued by injuries this year, but they still have the second-best record in the National League.
That all adds up pretty well for a National League MVP award, which would be Ohtani’s third MVP and see him join Frank Robinson as the only players to win the award in both leagues.