As the 2025 MLB season hits full stride, the National League MVP race is heating up — and the Los Angeles Dodgers’ $700 million superstar is right in the thick of it.
Shohei Ohtani is, once again, redefining what dominance looks like.
“That’s no surprise, ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle wrote in a May 27 story, as the first weeks of the 2025 season have done little to change the lofty appraisals of Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani, who continue to do historical things in mesmerizing fashion.”
Ohtani’s bat alone has made him a front-runner. He leads the NL in home runs, slugging percentage, and runs scored, with an OPS north of 1.000 and a projected pace of 57 home runs and 171 runs scored. It’s the kind of output most teams dream of from their top slugger—and for Ohtani, it’s just half the story.
Offensive Brilliance For Dodgers Fueling MVP Case
Since Opening Day, the Dodgers star has been as consistent as he’s been electric. His hard-hit rate (65.1) ranks the best, per Baseball Savant, his plate discipline is improving, and his impact in high-leverage moments is impossible to ignore.
With the Dodgers leading the NL West at 33-21, Ohtani’s value to a playoff contender only strengthens his case.
Pitching Return Could Tilt the Season
While his bat is keeping the Dodgers rolling, Ohtani is getting closer to a long-awaited return to the mound—a potential game-changer for the second half.
The Dodgers are keeping his progress in-house, avoiding minor league assignments and sticking to tightly controlled environments. There’s no set date for his return, and the team has made it clear he likely won’t pitch until after the All-Star break.
But once he does, his presence could reshape the Dodgers’ rotation and the MVP race altogether.
Even without pitching, Ohtani’s offense has already placed him ahead of the pack. He leads all NL hitters in Win Probability Added (WPA), and his fWAR is among the league’s best.
Pete Crow-Armstrong, Kyle Tucker, and Fernando Tatis Jr. are also having standout seasons, but it’s clear that Ohtani’s two-way ceiling will make the award tough to reach in the second half of the season. PCA might have an edge, for now, but there’s going to be a tall task to maintain his production despite his storybook campaign.
Ohtani doesn’t need to pitch to win MVP—but when he does, the conversation might be over. With continued popularity, generational league-wide reverence, and the numbers to back them up—the Dodgers’ glue guy is in prime position to take home the hardware for the fourth time.
