5 Ways Shohei Ohtani Could Make MVP History and Cement His Place Among Baseball Legends

Shohei Ohtani already owns three MVP trophies. Here are five extraordinary milestones he could reach with another.

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Becoming the Dodgers’ Next Multi‑Time MVP

The Dodgers’ trophy case is already stacked, with 13 MVP awards spread across 10 different players. Since the franchise moved west, seven different Dodgers have claimed the honor, including Shohei Ohtani last season. Yet only Roy Campanella, who won three times in Brooklyn during the 1950s, has ever repeated in Dodger blue. If Ohtani captures another, he would join Campanella as the only Dodgers with multiple MVPs. Even more impressively, he could become just the second player in history to win MVP in each of his first two seasons with a new team, a feat last accomplished by Roger Maris with the Yankees in 1960 and 1961.

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A Fourth Career MVP Trophy

Shohei Ohtani’s résumé already places him among the game’s most decorated players. He won American League MVP honors in 2021 and 2023 with the Angels, then added a National League crown in his Dodgers debut. That puts him in a group of 11 players with exactly three MVP awards. Seven of those names are already enshrined in Cooperstown, Albert Pujols is a lock to join them, Mike Trout is still active, and Alex Rodriguez rounds out the list. A fourth MVP would separate Shohei Ohtani from that pack, making him only the second player ever with at least four. The only man ahead of him? Barry Bonds, who sits alone with seven.

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Matching Joe Morgan’s Rare Double: Back‑to‑Back MVPs and Championships

Winning consecutive MVP awards is difficult enough. Pairing that with consecutive World Series titles is nearly unheard of. The only player to ever do it is Joe Morgan, who accomplished the double in 1975 and 1976 with Cincinnati’s Big Red Machine. Shohei Ohtani, fresh off an NLCS MVP performance against Milwaukee, could be on the verge of joining him. If the Dodgers repeat as champions and Ohtani repeats as MVP, he would stand alongside Morgan in one of baseball’s most exclusive clubs.

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Three Straight MVP Crowns

Since the Baseball Writers’ Association of America began handing out MVP awards in 1931, only one player has ever won three in a row: Barry Bonds, who strung together four straight from 2001 through 2004. Shohei Ohtani already has back‑to‑back trophies, joining a list of 13 players who have managed that feat. Albert Pujols nearly extended his streak to three, finishing second in 2010 after winning in 2008 and 2009. Ohtani now has the chance to do what no one besides Bonds has ever done, turn two straight into three.

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Another MVP as a Two‑Way Star

Shohei Ohtani’s uniqueness lies in his ability to dominate both as a hitter and a pitcher. If he wins again, it would mark his third MVP season while contributing on the mound. His 2024 award came solely as a designated hitter while recovering from elbow surgery, but his earlier wins showcased his two‑way brilliance. That distinction matters: in the 28 seasons before Ohtani’s first MVP in 2021, only two pitchers, Justin Verlander in 2011 and Clayton Kershaw in 2014, had won the award. A 2025 victory would mean Shohei Ohtani alone has more MVP seasons as a pitcher‑hitter hybrid than the rest of the league combined over nearly three decades.