D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports

Shohei Ohtani Had Several Believers In AL MVP Voting

Originally posted on The Cold Wire | By Curt Bishop | Last updated 11/18/22

Last year’s American League MVP Shohei Ohtani couldn’t follow it up with another MVP season.

While the Los Angeles Angels two-way star’s numbers certainly were MVP-caliber, the award went to none other than Aaron Judge.

Judge of course broke the American League single-season record in home runs, a record which had been held by Roger Maris and one that stood for over six decades.

At the end of the day, Judge was the clear choice, but that didn’t mean that people didn’t believe Ohtani deserved another shot at it.

MLB Network tweeted a screenshot of the voting results, which show that Ohtani had plenty of supporters from BBWAA.

Aaron Judge becomes the 21st MVP in @Yankees history. pic.twitter.com/RGRtaA864w

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) November 18, 2022

Ohtani Received Support For MVP

Ohtani received two first-place votes and 28 second-place votes.

It was the opposite for Judge, who received 28 first-place votes and just two second-place votes.

So at the end of the day, the choice was clear, and Judge fully earned the MVP Award.

But Ohtani certainly did enough to be considered again.

The 28-year-old was dominant at the plate and on the mound.

The right-hander started 28 games and went 15-9 with a 2.33 ERA.

At the plate, Ohtani went deep 34 times, hitting .273 and driving in 95 runs.

Last year’s MVP certainly did enough to at least garner some consideration for this year’s MVP Award, and the voting clearly reflects what several writers believed.

Still, it was Judge who earned the honor.

The Angels had another disastrous season, but Ohtani’s heroics were one saving grace from the whole debacle.

Last year’s MVP Award certainly won’t be Ohtani’s last.

This article first appeared on The Cold Wire and was syndicated with permission.

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