Shohei Ohtani, amid subsiding talks about his contract, has made it to the headlines again inevitably during MLB awards. The word is out that the two-way phenom has added another feather to his cap as the first Japanese in this category. As the best overall offensive performer in the American League. Bagging his first of many, the unicorn never fails to surprise fans. 

Soon after he was declared the 2023 unanimous MVP in November he has clinched the prestigious Hank Aaron Award. With this new laurel to his name, he has added a level of value in MLB that is not easy to match anytime soon. Conjunctly, the Atlanta Braves’ Ronald Acuna Jr. won the award for the National League. With that, there is a notable observation common to both their wins.  

Tidbits of Shohei Ohtani’s Newly Won Award

The pattern here is that Ohtani and Acuna both secured their respective league’s Most Valuable Player Award. Not to mention, it was even a unanimous decision for both last month. Among the 50 individuals who have won the Hank Aaron Award so far, 26 (more than half) were named MVP in the same year. Having said that, if one were to add to the list of Shotime’s achievements, there’s more.

While Ohtani’s pitching ability is taken into consideration during the MVP voting process, only offensive performance is considered for the Hank Aaron Award. Having said that, the award does contain a tiny knowledge nugget. In the short list of players in AL/NL history with at least 40 home runs, five triples, 20 steals, and a.650 slugging percentage, Shohei is up second. Willie Mays was the only other player, pioneering the list in 1955.

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The Oshu-born has established many of his firsts here in MLB. 2023’s Hank Aaron Award is the first one in his career. And the third time it was won by an Angels player; the honor was Mike Trout’s back in 2014 and 2019. Now that Ohtani has moved to the second phase of his MLB career he stands proudly alongside Ronald Acuna Jr. as his league’s award recipient. 

Winners Raise the Bar Higher in MLB

The now-Dodger foreran the AL with an impressive 44 homers hitting .304 and 96 RBI. Though his season ended prematurely in early September, the unicorn additionally had eight triples and 20 stolen bases. Despite his oblique injury that ended his season prematurely, he recorded 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA in 23 starts. The right hander, in 132 innings, struck 167 and walked 55 right before a tear in his UCL on his right elbow. All this collectively speaks of the quality performance MLB is presently witnessing. The 29-year-old’s 2023 co-MVP donned some amazing achievements too.

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First of all, the 25-year-old Acuna became the first MLB player to hit 40 home runs and steal 70 bases in a single season. Moreover, he was a unanimous choice for his first MVP award in the National League. Ronald had a batting average of .336 for the Braves. That made him lead the major leagues in batting average with 217 hits, 149 runs, 73 stolen bases and 386 total bases. It’s worth mentioning that he hit 41 home runs with the RBI of 106. Such is the saga of these achievers who uplift the portfolio of the international baseball stage.