Shohei Ohtani is the 202 atlanta braves jersey harris 2 AL MVP until further notice, and it's foolish to pretend otherwise
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It remains a source of amazement that there are still people who claim to be baseball fans and yet downplay the sig custom atlanta braves jersey nificance of Shohei Ohtani's mesmerizing abilities.
This is especially perplexing when discussing Ohtani's status as an AL MVP candidate, which doesn't seem like a topic even worthy of debate given what we've seen so far from the two-way superstar in 2022.
So, let's get this out of the way now: Shohei Ohtani is the AL MVP in 2022, and it's foolish to pretend otherwise. With respect to Aaron Judge or whoever else makes a strong case in the American League, Ohtani is the guy until further notice.
atlanta braves red jersey MORE: Shohei Ohtani's pitching dominance, by the numbers
We'll get to the particulars in a second, but don't l atlanta braves jersey riley ose sight of this: Ohtani continues to not only shatter modern baseball convention by being a successful two-way player, but his success continues to be unprecedented. It cannot be overemphasized: What he's doing has literally never been done. Not to this degree. But because we see his highlights nightly on Twitter, in commercials and on our favorite highlight shows, it's easy to normalize his exploits. But, as I've often said, weMLB Pet Gear should men s atlanta braves jersey never normalize Shohei Ohtani.
Granted, his 2022 season is not quite at the same level we saw in his historic 2021 MVP campaign, but just being in the neighborhood should be enough to secure the award for a second straight year. And he's definitely in the neighborhood. Heck, he's basically just down the street.
Last season, it was Ohtani's hitting prowess thatExpress thundered the loudest. ThiMLB Camo Apparel s year, it's his pitching that's making the most noise.
The latest example came Wednesday in his start against the Marlins, when he pitched seven innings, allowed no earned runs and struck out 10. It was his fourth straight start allowing no earned runs and his third straight with double-digit strikeouts. The shutout streak has lowered his season ERA to 2.44, which would be tied for ninth-best in baseball if Ohtani had enough innings to qualify; he's short by three.
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He's now fifth in the AL in strikeouts with 111, and his 12.3 strikeouts per nine innings would be second best in baseball if, again, he had just three more innings. Pretty elite stuff, and plenty valuable. But we can't stop there.
Though Ohtani's pitching performances have stood out most through the first half, it's not as though his bat has been quiet or even mediocre. He's still getting on base at a solid clip (.343) and he's on pace to again club more than 30 homers and drive in more than 100 runs. He'll likely flirt with 20 stolen bases, too. His OPS is a very good/great .833 and his wRC+ is a strong 133. He's also in the 95th percentile or higher in a slew of Statcast metrics, including average exit velocity, maximum exit velocity and barrel percentage.
When Ohtani swings, there's always the chance for maximum damage. This is prJ.T. Realmuto obably why he leads the league in intentional walks. It's all very, very valuable — hence Ohtani's league-leading 4.2 bWAR.
MORE: AL MVP betting odds: Ohtani or Judge?
In the simplest terms, Ohtani provides the Angels with two All-Star-level players in one roster spot. But, as I've said and written before, even a player who was merely an above-average hitter and an above-average pitcher would bring tr atlanta braves game used jersey emendous value, both in his contributions to winning and in the flexibility he provides the team with roster construction.
But Ohtani is way more than above average in both aspects of his game. He's the Angels' third-most valuable hitter (1.5 bWAR) and their most valuable pitcher (2.8 bWAR). And he stacks up well against the league's other elite pitching and hitting talents. In 2022, just as in 2021, it's hard to argue that there's another player who brings more total value.
Even after a 2021 season that offered a new Ohtani spectacle seemingly every night, he's still doing his thing like nobody ever has. Don't let the frequency diminish the awe.