With the Braves still basking in the glow of their first World Series title in 26 years, MLB revealed the finalists for its major awards on Monday night. To the surprise of nobody, Shohei Ohtani made the cut.
Ohtani's ascendency as a two-way star made history in 2021, and he was among the three finalists for the American League's MVP award alongside TK and TK. Ohtani appeared in 158 games on offense, batting .257/.372/.592 with 46 home runs, 100 RBIs, 26 stolen bases and 103 run scored. He also went 9-2 with a 3.18 ERA across 23 starts, notching 156 strikeouts over 130.