Shohei Ohtani has unanimously won the American League MVP Award for the 2021 season. The Los Angeles Angels' designated hitter/starting pitcher proved to be cheat code this year, racking up unbelievable offensive numbers (46 home runs and 26 stolen bases with an OPS of .965) while providing excellent pitching in 130.1 innings, recording a 3.18 ERA. He became the first player since his own teammate, Mike Trout, to win the award unanimously.
Plenty of figures in the baseball world, including Trout, took to Twitter to praise Ohtani. CC Sabathia went so far as to say that Ohtani is the best player he has ever seen.
SHOHEI!!!!!!!!!!! BEST PLAYER I’VE EVER SEEN 🗣🗣🗣 #MVP
— CC Sabathia (@CC_Sabathia) November 19, 2021
If the debate for who the greatest player of all time is only focused on a player's peak, then Ohtani would absolutely have a case. The Angels' superstar was a dominant force on the mound and at the plate. Baseball fans haven't seen someone dominate as a two-way player like this before.
The G.O.A.T debate, though is focused on careers, not individual seasons. Still, Sabathia's take is nothing to scoff at. He's a six-time All-Star, Cy Young Award winner, ALCS MVP and World Series winner. As one of the more accomplished pitchers in his era, he certainly has an idea of what it takes to be dominant as a pitcher and how good hitters of Ohtani's caliber are.
Ohtani will become a more common answer for the greatest baseball player of all time is bound to happen if he posts more seasons like this. It'll happen even faster if the Angels surround him with a playoff-caliber team. Trout, who played in just 36 games last season, returning for a full year would be a good start but Los Angeles still needs more, especially in the pitching lineup around Ohtani.
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