Unexpected slugger challenging Shohei Ohtani for NL MVP

This season, Los Angeles Dodgers  superstar Shohei Ohtani is on the cusp of two ultra-rare feats. 

In MLB history, Barry Bonds is the only player to win three straight MVP awards — he won four consecutively — and he is also the only player to win more than three in his career, as he won seven total. If Ohtani can manage another MVP season this year, he will have won his third straight and his fourth total, joining two separate clubs consisting of just one other player, t hough Bonds sits alone in two higher clubs of his own creation. 

But in Ohtani’s quest to make history, there is one surprising slugger standing in the way.

When we think of Philadelphia Phillies  power-hitter Kyle Schwarber, second-deck home runs are usually the first thing that comes to mind. Truth be told, Schwarber has never really hit for average. His career batting average stands at .232, and his career-high average of any season is .266. Still, this has never prevented him getting on base at a high rate. 

Typically, players who aren’t well-rounded in all major metrics don’t see as much consideration for MVP honors. However, the NL MVP race seems to be coming down to Ohtani and Schwarber. 

This season, there aren’t many players excelling at hitting for both power and average. Currently, there are no hitters in the NL with a home-run total of at least 30 and a batting average of at least .290. 

This leaves an opening for Schwarber, who received MVP votes every year for the past three years, peaking at 15^th in the voting. Below are Ohtani and Schwarber’s 2025 stats and their NL rankings in each:

In most major stats, both these stars sit at or close to the top. And the fact that Ohtani’s stats lag far behind last year’s blowout performance only works to Schwarber’s advantage. Even Schwarber’s success rate in stealing bases is higher than Ohtani’s this year — and Schwarber’s sprint speed is in the mere 14^th percentile. But is Schwarber really the frontrunner for NL MVP?

Although Schwarber is having an incredible year, his numbers fall short of Ohtani’s. With 34 games left, there is still time to close the gap, but there is one other aspect of Schwarber’s game that makes his intriguing MVP case just slightly doubtful: He is primarily a DH. There has only been one primary DH win an MVP, and that was Ohtani last season. This season, the Dodgers’ two-way star is both a DH and a pitcher. But that raises yet another question.

Ohtani returned to the mound on June 16, having missed over an entire year (in terms of pitching) due to an elbow injury which required Tommy John surgery. Since his return, Ohtani owns a lackluster 4.61 ERA in 10 starts. 

The Dodgers have been cautious with Ohtani, who is yet to have an outing that lasted at least 4.2 innings, and it isn't clear if Ohtani will be able to return to form before the season is over. Whether or not this will hurt his MVP case remains to be seen, but it surely won’t help unless he can improve. 

Pitching aside, Ohtani is the current MVP frontrunner. But to say that Schwarber is far behind would be an exaggeration.