Winning the MVP in the National League is almost impossible at the moment unless your name is Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani’s two-way player status gives him an obvious advantage. Even players who record historic numbers simply don’t match up to a player who hits and pitches at an elite level. Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has a plan to “dethrone” Ohtani as the NL MVP in the future, though.
“I was telling a few of the guys earlier, ‘Man, I would love to dethrone him,’ but I don’t know how you do it unless I go to a pitching lab in the off-season,” the Cubs All-Star said, via Jesse Rogers of ESPN. “I’ll go be a closer or something and see how that helps my odds.”
Ohtani, who is not at the MLB All-Star Game as he recovers from a knee injury, is the best overall player in the sport. He is still an All-Star, though, and he is likely going to win his fourth consecutive and fifth overall MVP this year. Shohei is signed to a long-term contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers, meaning he will continue to be the frontrunner in the NL MVP race for years to come.
PCA is joking about pitching (at least, I think he is), but in all reality that may be what it takes to win MVP at this point in the NL. A position player may have an argument if they hit 70 home runs or end up with a 40-40 season, but winning the NL MVP with a standard really good season is out of the question with Ohtani dominating at the plate and on the mound.
Winning the MVP in the National League is almost impossible at the moment unless your name is Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani’s two-way player status gives him an obvious advantage. Even players who record historic numbers simply don’t match up to a player who hits and pitches at an elite level.
