PHILADELPHIA — On the one hand, the Atlanta Braves’ Marcell Ozuna has little or no chance of winning the National League Most Valuable Player Award, because no primary designated hitter has ever won his league’s MVP award and Ozuna is a DH exclusively. On the other hand, so is Shohei Ohtani . Ohtani, the two-way phenom, has been a one-way superstar in his first season with the Los Angeles Dodgers , since he isn’t pitching this year while recovering from elbow surgery.
He’s served as a full-time DH for the Dodgers, and right now he’s the overwhelming favorite to win NL MVP in a season when most other potential candidates have slumped or been injured. Advertisement Ozuna knows that’s the case, even if his own spectacular season includes a few notable stats in which he ranks ahead of Ohtani including batting average, OBP and RBIs, where Ozuna leads the majors with 98. “I don’t think I’ll get any votes, because he’s the best,” Ozuna said of Ohtani, dismissing any possibility of his contending for MVP in a year when the Dodgers’ star already became the fastest in history to reach 40 homers and 40 stolen bases in a season.
As far as value to one’s team, Braves manager Brian Snitker says no player has been more valuable to a team this season than Ozuna to the Braves. “Without him, we probably wouldn’t be sitting here where we are right now,” Snitker said before Thursday night’s 5-4 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies in a much-anticipated series ope.