Was there ever a question?

At some point, there are simply not enough words to describe how amazing the 2023 season was for two-way Angels phenomenon Shohei Ohtani. There is no historical comparison in baseball, and the closest one is Babe Ruth.

So it came as no surprise that when Frank Thomas announced the winner of the American League MVP on Thursday night, it would not only be Ohtani, but it would be by unanimous vote.

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The unanimous victory made him the 19th player in the history of the American Baseball Writers Association MVP award to receive all first-place votes. Here is a full list of the company you are joining.

Year Player Team League Position
1935 Hank greenberg Tigers Alabama 1 B
1936 Carl hubbell Giants NL LHP
1953 Al Rosen Indians Alabama 3B
1956 Mickey Mantle Yankees Alabama FROM
1966 Frank Robinson Orioles Alabama FROM
1967 Orlando cepeda Cardinals NL 1 B
1968 Denny McLain Tigers Alabama RHP
1973 Reggie jackson Athletics Alabama FROM
1980 Mike schmidt Phillies NL 3B
1988 Jose Canseco Athletics Alabama FROM
1993 Frank thomas white sock Alabama 1 B
1994 Jeff Bagwell Astros NL 1 B
nineteen ninety six Ken Caminiti Parents NL 3B
1997 Ken Griffey Jr. Sailors Alabama FROM
2002 Barry bonds Giants NL FROM
2009 Albert pujols Cardinals NL 1 B
2014 Mike trout Angels Alabama FROM
2015. Bryce harper Nationals NL FROM
2021 Shohei ohtani Angels Alabama DH / RHP

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And if that wasn’t history enough, Ohtani also became the 29th player to win both MVP and Rookie of the Year. Among that group, he is only the seventh to be unanimously named MVP and win the Rookie of the Year award.

Player Rookie of the Year Mvp
Jackie Robinson 1947 1949
Don newcombe 1949 1956
Willie mays 1951 1954, 1965
Frank Robinson 1956 1961, 1966
Orlando cepeda 1958 1967
Willie McCovey 1959 1969
Pete rose 1963 1973
Dick allen 1964 1972
Rod Carew 1967 1977
Johnny bench 1968 1970, 1972
Thurman Munson 1970 1976
Fred lynn 1975 1975
Andre dawson 1977 1987
Cal ripken 1982 1983, 1991
Jose Canseco 1986 1988
Jeff Bagwell 1991 1994
Albert pujols 2001 2005, 2008, 2009
Ichiro suzuki 2001 2001
Ryan howard 2005 2006
Justin verlander 2006 2011
Ryan braun 2007 2011
Dustin Pedroia 2007 2008
Buster posey 2010 2012
Bryce harper 2012 2015, 2023
Mike trout 2012 2014, 2016, 2019
Jose Abreu 2014 2020
Kris bryant 2015. 2016
Cody bellinger 2017 2019
Shohei ohtani 2018 2021

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Ohtani, who joins a storied company with the award, is a fitting cap for an unprecedented campaign. He was third in the American League with 46 home runs and finished the season with a .257 / .372 / .592 line and was fifth in the American League with 26 stolen bases.

On the mound, he pitched 130 1/3 innings in 23 starts with a 3.18 ERA, a 29.3 percent strikeout rate and an 8.3 percent walk rate. He is the only player in MLB history to have at least 30 home runs and 30 strikeouts in a season, and he finished with 156 strikeouts.