"Reporters don't like DH to be MVP" Which designated hitter '恨', will Ohtani release it

Jun 29, 2024

'Reporters don't like DH to be MVP' Which designated hitter '恨', will Ohtani release it
LA Dodgers Shohei Ohtani will challenge for the first designated hitter MVP in history. AP Yonhap News



'Reporters don't like DH to be MVP' Which designated hitter '恨', will Ohtani release it
New York Mets JD Martinez. USATODAY Yonhap News
Can LA Dodgers Shohei Ohtani be named MVP for the first time in history.

Since the introduction of the designated hitter system in the American League (AL) in 1973, a designated hitter has never won the MVP of the regular season until last year. However, with the National League (NL) also starting to use designated hitters in 2022, Ohtani, who moved to the NL this season, is increasingly likely to be the first designated hitter MVP.

As of the 28th (Korea time), Ohtani is ranked first in the NL in seven categories, including batting average (0.322), scoring (65), home run (25), slugging percentage (0.643), OPS (1.045), long hit (48), and Ruta (200), which are the standard and expanded statistics categories. In addition, bWAR (4.7) and fWAR (4.5) are also overwhelmingly No. 1 in NL, with OPS+ (194), the main categories of Saber Metrics.




Although Bryce Harper, who leads the Philadelphia Phillies, the No. 1 overall winning percentage in the Major League, stands out, if the MVP vote is carried out now, Ohtani may have a unanimous opinion. Harper is fourth in bWAR (4.1) and second in fWAR (4.0).

'Reporters don't like DH to be MVP' Which designated hitter '恨', will Ohtani release it
Otani hits a solo home run in the first inning against the Chicago White Sox on the 27th (Korea time). USATODAY Yonhap News
On top of that, Ohtani also has the possibility of a triple crown. The most recent example of hitting triple crowns is Detroit Tigers Miguel Cabrera in 2012. In the NL, however, it did not come out for 86 years until last year after Joe Medwick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1937. Ohtani, the No. 1 hitter in batting average and home run, has 61 RBIs, ranking third after Philadelphia's Alec Bohm (65) and Atlanta Braves' Marcel Ojuna (64), which significantly narrowed the gap in June.

In response, MLB.com said, `There are bigger goals in mind. We don't really talk about the playoffs that avoided him when he was with the Angels. Rather, for example, only once in the last 57 years (Miguel Cabrera in 2012), he said 'Otani ranks first in batting average, first in homers, and third in RBIs in the NL, only four differences from the first place. Are these records the most meaningful statistics in today's data-driven major leagues? It's still a long way off. So if Ohtani makes the triple crown achieved by only 10 players so far, will it still go down as a monumental achievement? Of course.'




Triple Crown is not the greatest record, but it will be a 'all-time' achievement to win the MVP award.

If Ohtani becomes the designated hitter MVP, there is one player who will be evaluated with a special gaze, drawing attention. It's the New York Mets JD Martinez. He was born in 1987 and his retirement period is approaching, but he is still showing sharp bat skills.

Martinez's career high was in 2018 when he was with the Boston Red Sox. He hit 0.330 in batting average, 43 homers, 130 RBIs, and 1.031 OPS that year, but finished fourth in AL MVP voting. Mookie Betts (current Dodgers), his colleague at the time, was named AL MVP.




Martinez then turned to BBWAA in an interview with the Massachusetts-based newspaper The Eagle-Tribune "Baseball Journalists will never allow a designated hitter to be named MVP. A group that thinks differently from many people "Journalists have hidden intentions in voting for certain players. What does a journalist want to be? Who do you work for?," he said, expressing his discomfort.

'Reporters don't like DH to be MVP' Which designated hitter '恨', will Ohtani release it
Otani is in rehabilitation as a pitcher this season. USATODAY Yonhap News
'Reporters don't like DH to be MVP' Which designated hitter '恨', will Ohtani release it
JD Martinez during his Boston Red Sox days. AP Yonhap News
The value of designated hitters is different from that of ordinary fielders because they do not defend. There is also a saying that 'half of the players' are. MLB.com said that Martinez's logic at the time was out of the question, but the overall point was correct. Because designated hitters cannot create value at all in the field of defense, it is very difficult for designated hitters to outperform all other players to the extent that they are considered the most valuable in terms of offensive and defensive contributions.

However, if it's Ohtani this season, it's a different story. Ohtani received Tommy John Surgery last fall and is undergoing rehabilitation as a pitcher. Analysts say that he is making career-high grades as he is focusing only on hitting.

In an interview with MLB.com , Ohtani responded, `It is true that the burden has been reduced a lot in reality. There is no denying that. But at the same time, I think I've developed as a batter and I've grown as a batter as a whole"I'm trying to swing the bat on a strike from the actual at-bat and I focus on making sure my form and everything are consistent."

In addition, he expressed satisfaction with his performance in the first half of this year, his first season after moving to the Dodgers, saying, `Looking back, it's a very good first half.'



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.