Shohei Ohtani is a man who can pitch and hit at a level not seen in baseball’s history. So does it surprise anyone that Ohtani is right now the hot favorite for the NL MVP crown? But then, what if there was one thing that this Dodgers star kept hidden? One thing that proves once again just how complete of a ballplayer Ohtani is?

Atlanta Braves legend Andruw Jones recently appeared in the Foul Territory Show. While talking about Shohei Ohtani’s unreal standards, Jones revealed something rather interesting about Shotime. The two-way phenom is apparently a great outfielder too. Imagine that! Ohtani is already a hot MVP favorite as a DH; just how high will his potential go as a positional player? How did Jones come to know about this fact, and has Ohtani ever played defense in MLB? The answer is quite interesting.

What does Andruw Jones feel about Ohtani as an MVP?

Well, the 47-year-old started by jumping right into the debate that’s been buzzing around lately: David Ortiz’s claim that Ohtani winning the MVP would be unfair. Jones made it clear—he’s not buying that idea at all! Instead, he’s all in on celebrating Ohtani’s phenomenal performance. Sure, Jones gave a shout-out to Ortiz for his impressive numbers and his Hank Aaron Award, but when it comes to Ohtani, Jones was all about the magic.

He said, “Whatever the kid is doing, it’s just special ”.  And here’s a fun twist—Jones’s fascination with Ohtani actually goes way back, all the way to 12 years ago! Atlanta’s legend first saw Ohtani when he was just 18 years old in Japan and was immediately blown away. And not just by Ohtani’s potential as a future star pitcher—Jones also saw the makings of a “great outfielder”. But did he ever play as an outfielder in MLB? Yes, he did in 2021, but for only 7 games, so we don’t have enough data to predict how good he is or isn’t.

But according to Jones, he witnessed Ohtani’s hidden talent and vividly remembers watching him in 2014 and 2015, thinking he was a great player! Well, maybe he predicted the future, but initially, Jones thought Ohtani would stick to pitching, but the Dodgers star had other plans and emerged as a top-notch hitter too. Now, he’s on the verge of an incredible 50-50 record! In the same podcast, when asked about whom he would pick for MVP, Jones didn’t take much time to say: “Ohtani.” And can you believe this revelation supports another prediction that was recently made on Shohei’s future MVP candidacy?

Andruw Jones’ opinion mirrored by another baseball player

Trevor Plouffe, while talking to Chris Rose, made his prediction to the ongoing debate: who will win the MVP, Shohei Ohtani or Francisco Lindor? While at first glance it might look like no one can choose Lindor over Ohtani, the reality is quite the opposite. Anytime Lindor steps up to the plate nowadays, fans cannot stop greeting him by loudly screaming ‘M-V-P,’ and Trevor took his heart out on the same, saying, “I understand why people are making this argument, but I believe I think Ohtani has just done a little bit too much.”

Then, he went ahead to give a special mention to his historic record chase: “The 50-50 thing is hard to ignore. That’s just it for me.” Although the Minnesota Twins star also admitted that the arguments fans are making are totally valid, and he’s even considered that MVP should ideally be an all-rounder. But when it comes to Ohtani, he believes an exception should definitely be made. And honestly, it’s easy to see where he’s coming from! Just look at Ohtani’s stats: a .292 batting average, 47 home runs, and a 5.69 AB/HR ratio. That’s impressive by any standard!

At present, we have to also look at the fact that Ohtani isn’t pitching this season, so, should that be counted? Or do you believe, with Trevor Plouffe and Andruw Jones, that Ohtani’s power is something special this season and can possibly be locked in for multiple MVP awards in the future? Let us know in the comments.