Shohei Ohtani has once again solidified his standing as one of the most unique talents in baseball. In a unanimous vote by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, he earned the National League MVP award for 2025 — his fourth MVP in the last five seasons. This accomplishment arrives just two years into his tenure with the Los Angeles Dodgers, a team that backed his arrival with a blockbuster 10‑year, $700 million contract in December 2023.
What makes this achievement particularly striking is that Ohtani did it as a full‑time designated hitter while also making a notable return to the mound. Offensively, he posted a slash line of .282/.392/.622, launched 55 home runs (a franchise record for the Dodgers for the second straight season) and led the National League in adjusted OPS with a mark of 179. On the pitching side, he started 14 games and recorded a 2.87 ERA with 62 strikeouts over 47 innings — after undergoing his second ulnar collateral ligament repair.
Ohtani’s impact extends beyond individual stats. He became the first full‑time designated hitter to win an MVP in major‑league history, and he joined the exclusive club of players who have won MVP awards in both leagues. Added to this is his championship pedigree, having helped guide the Dodgers to back‑to‑back titles in his first two seasons with the club. While Ohtani says he doesn’t play for the personal awards — “everything has to do with your teammates… at the end of the day we want to be playing for a World Series” — his dominance this season makes it clear that his individual excellence and team success go hand in hand.
With four MVPs in five years, including four unanimous selections, Ohtani is doing things that simply haven’t been done before. Whether he’s hitting tape‑measure homers, stepping on the mound, or anchoring a championship‑level roster, the 2025 season has reaffirmed that Ohtani is in a class of his own.
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