ESPN analyst’s archaic opinion is only thing blocking Shohei Ohtani from first DH MVP

Since making his debut in 2018, Shohei Ohtani has won two MVP awards plus the Rookie of the Year honors. While he is no stranger to the MVP discussion, this year is different.

Ohtani’s awards have been contingent on his performance as a two-way phenom who hits like a star and pitches like a star, both of which Ohtani has done. Unfortunately, this year, Ohtani will not pitch due to elbow surgery. This means he is only a designated hitter for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

While there have been many great DHs, none of them have won the MVP award. David Ortiz garnered MVP votes in eight different seasons coming as close as runner up. Edgar Martinez picked up MVP votes in five different seasons.

Ohtani is making a compelling case. Thus far, through 328 at-bats, Ohtani has hit 27 home runs, slashing .320/.402/.646. But is being solely a DH disqualifying?

Michael Wilbon wouldn't vote for Shohei Ohtani for MVP

Michael Wilbon, co-host of ESPN’s Pardon the Interruption, had a rather unpopular take on voting for Ohtani as the MVP.

“I wouldn’t do it… so ill-advised. You can’t play half the game and be MVP,” Wilbon said, per Essential Sports. “Listen, as great as Shohei is — and he’s great — I’m not voting for a DH to win MVP."

Wilbon’s co-host, Frank Isola, had a more convincing counterpoint:

“If Dennis Eckersley could be an MVP as a reliever, Shohei Ohtani could be an MVP as a DH, come on!“

Wilbon went on to say that he would vote for Ohtani only if he hits for the triple crown. While Isola’s argument seems to make Wilbon’s old-fashioned ideals obsolete, is Wilbon right?

The MVP case for Shohei Ohtani

MVP awards should be won and lost on the merit in which it stands for. When it comes down to it, is Ohtani the most valuable player regardless of playing a position on the field?

To find our answer, we need to evaluate Ohtani compared to his peers.

With the bat, Ohtani is undoubtedly the best in the NL. However, he falls just short of Wilbon’s triple crown MVP threshold.

Early in the year, it seemed as though Mookie Betts was the favorite for NL MVP. His hitting was elite, and he was a great middle infielder. This all changed when Betts was injured. Now it seems Ohtani’s greatest competition comes from Bryce Harper as long as his stay on the IL is a short one. But do Ohtani’s contributions outweigh Harper’s?

To find the answer, we’ll use WAR. Keep in mind WAR isn’t always the best measurement of a player and different sites calculate it differently, but this metric does combine offensive production and defense in an attempt to find a player’s overall worth. In the end, that is what we’re after.

Using ESPN’s WAR statistic, we see that Ohtani is third in WAR in all MLB behind Gunnar Henderson and Aaron Judge. Bryce Harper ranks 13th. Harper holds a defensive WAR of 0.1 compared to Ohtani’s -0.7 since he doesn’t take the field. Nonetheless, Ohtani’s overall WAR value is 4.9 compared to Harper’s 3.7. By this measurement, Ohtani wins.

Ketel Marte is second in the NL in WAR with a 4.4. While Marte is understandably great, it would be hard to justify him being more valuable than Bryce Harper. Marte’s higher WAR number might indicate that defense is weighted a little too heavily in the WAR metric. But even in a metric that weighs defense too heavily, Ohtani still tops the NL.

So, if the season ended today and the MVP voting began, Ohtani is conclusively the NL MVP.