Ohtani (DH, P), Iglesias make All-MLB Team
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ANAHEIM -- Two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani received even more accolades on Tuesday, as he made history by becoming the first player to make the All-MLB Team as both a pitcher and a hitter.
Ohtani, who won the AL MVP Award unanimously on Thursday, was the First Team All-MLB selection at designated hitter and a Second Team selection as a starting pitcher. Closer Raisel Iglesias was also honored, as he was a Second Team selection as a reliever.
Ohtani and Iglesias were the only two Angels players to make the All-MLB Team, as announced on MLB Network.
• 2021 All-MLB selections | Complete MLB Awards coverage
Yordan Alvarez was the Second Team selection at DH, while Max Scherzer, Corbin Burnes, Walker Buehler, Robbie Ray and Gerrit Cole were the First Team selections at starting pitcher. Ohtani was joined by Julio Urías, Kevin Gausman, Max Fried and Zack Wheeler to fill out the Second Team starting rotation.
Igelsias joined Kenley Jansen as a Second Team selection. Josh Hader and Liam Hendriks took the top honors.
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It’s yet another honor for Ohtani, who also won his first Silver Slugger Award as designated hitter and was named the MLBPA Player of the Year, as voted on by his peers. He was also named the Player of the Year by Baseball America, Baseball Digest and Sporting News, and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred also honored him with the Commissioner’s Historic Achievement Award at the World Series, the first time Manfred had given out the award. In July, Ohtani became the first player selected to the All-Star Game as both a starting pitcher and a position player.
• 9 ways Ohtani broke Statcast in 2021
Ohtani, 27, had a slash line of .257/.372/.592, 46 homers, 26 doubles, eight triples, 100 RBIs, 103 runs and 26 stolen bases in 155 games. And on the mound, he made 23 starts and went 9-2 with a 3.18 ERA and 156 strikeouts in 130 1/3 innings.
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Ohtani reached several milestones, including becoming the first player in AL or NL history with at least 45 homers, 25 stolen bases and five triples in a season. And no player had ever hit more than 30 homers while making at least 15 starts on the mound.
Iglesias also had a strong season as closer, tying a career high with 34 saves to go along with a 2.57 ERA. He struck out 103 and walked just 12 in 70 innings. He’s currently a free agent after rejecting the qualifying offer, but the Angels are still interested in bringing him back on a multiyear deal.