As good as the Los Angeles Dodgers have been recently, their efforts toward staying relevant in the National League West Division race is being recognized.
The Dodgers, behind the pitching and bat of Shohei Ohtani, are firmly entrenched in the No. 2 spot in the latest MLB Power Rankings, according to The Athletic.
In fact, Ohtani gets some love from The Athletic's Grant Brisbee, who took a look at where the Dodgers are at the present time. He's even putting Ohtani's name in the mix for a potential NL Most Valuable Player honor.
"Whatever," Brisbee wrote. "Has he received even one Gold Glove vote in his career? Has he laid down a single sacrifice bunt? Looking at his Baseball-Reference page, it appears that he never led the league in doubles. Over-rated (clap clap clapclapclap).
"OK, fine, Ohtani is still the best baseball player alive and quite possibly the most talented baseball player any of us will ever see," Brisbee wrote. "He’s going to win the MVP, and the vote will likely be unanimous, justifiably so. Why are you reading words from a dummy like me when you could be out there watching Ohtani highlights?"
Dodgers Territory (@LADTerritory) on X
"If Cal Raleigh is in the National League, I still think Ohtani is the MVP."
The MVP Award will always go to Shohei Ohtani, says @alannarizzo.
Ohtani has been making headlines ever since he came over to the Dodgers, helping the team win the 2024 World Series title over the New York Yankees.
But he already had quite a heralded career with the Los Angeles Angels before moving over to play in Dodger Stadium.
Is Ohtani worth the award? Some fans may not think so, possibly just looking at him playing in a major market like Los Angeles and thinking that is the reason.
Still, it's hard to not believe that Ohtani is worth a look at for the MVP honor. Let's see how the rest of this season pans out. Remember, MVP voters only go on what happens in the regular season...not taking postseason play into account. Ohtani has a chance to secure his spot in September.