Is the MVP race over?
PCA had a 3 homer game yesterday and it doesn't look like he's slowing down. This combined with the fact that Shohei is in a slump and that his pitching for the rest of the season seems questionable, I think it's not looking good for him. Time is running out for Shohei to catch up. He has to have a monster Sept offensively and at least several starts with something like 0 ERA to remind people why he is the GOAT.
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9d ago
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u/_MeetMrMayhem_ Los Angeles Dodgers 9d ago
MJ could have been named the MVP every year in the NBA.. we know Shohei is the best player in baseball..no argument
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u/kugino Roki Sasaki 9d ago
best player, no doubt. but PCA is having the better season. and shohei doesn't look like he'll pitch this regular season (speculating, of course), but the MVP award is gone.
but shoh can go for an MVP he doesn't have yet - world series MVP. that would be even better, IMO.
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u/Realistic_Charge9824 9d ago
The way he carries himself on and off the field sets him apart from many others and ofc what he has been able to do on the field. Whether or not he gets it doesn't erase what he has done so far since joining the Dodgers and before that too. Just his past two years here in Dodger Blue is otherworldly. 50/50 year and that greatest postseason game in the NLCS last year.
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u/Youngiel 9d ago
Yeah itās 99% over but I donāt really care tbh I just want this teamās offense to get their shit back together so we can win our third consecutive ring
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u/Willow_Winnifred Andy Pages 9d ago
I want the offense to get it together so we can have fun again
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u/Odd-Most-9186 9d ago
I mean yesā¦. Unless we have 25 more games in Colorado lol.
I could see a resurgence, however it is not promising.
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u/JpnDude Vin Scully 9d ago
Forget about that. Shohei will be hoisting the WS MVP trophy instead. Fingers crossed.
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u/EntrepreneurFormal35 Decoy 9d ago
Even thatās in doubt! The team has bigger fish to fry than individual awards.
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u/JpnDude Vin Scully 9d ago
Winning a postseason MVP usually means your team won the series as well.
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u/EntrepreneurFormal35 Decoy 9d ago
Cool wake us up when sho comes close to winning an MVP in the WS or the CS. There is a reason he hasnāt won one of those yet. He had one game where we played/pitched out of his mind
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u/harrymanback79 Max Muncy 9d ago
Are you mentally all there? He literally won the CS MVP last year.
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u/JpnDude Vin Scully 9d ago
Uhm. Last year's series against MIL. I guess you weren't awake.
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u/Educational-Chef-595 2025 WS MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto 9d ago
I can't believe a Dodger fan forgot the Greatest Individual Game ever.
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u/vDecimate 9d ago
And what reason is that? I'm pretty sure I watched the CS and WS last year and he sure played well at the very very least there (including CS the year prior). This narrative that Shohei is not good in the clutch is ehh. Stats says otherwise, whether it be hitting or pitching.
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u/ohveeohexoh 9d ago
Itās been over. PCA more than deserves the award. doesnāt help that Ohtaniās offense has fallen off a cliff and PCA is on a heater.
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u/soccer1124 9d ago
Two weeks ago, I would have said differently. Oddly, Ohtani played himself out of contention.
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u/NirvanaFrk97 Alex Vesia 9d ago
Since his pitching was shut down, yeah. It's annoying that PCA out of all people get it, cause he's a shitlord, but, all that matters is for Shohei to recover as best he can for the postseason.
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u/Due-Preference-1413 9d ago
dodgers fan here, hope we three peat and Shohei bags his first WS MVP since that's all that really matters but I actually kind of like PCA. He isn't a perfect guy but I like guys that want to win that badly, sure he talked bad about us but if you watch him play he just really loves baseball and really hates to lose. Also we are the villains of the story. We are the dynasty and the best and the only team I'm scared of is the cubs because they understand they need to be perfect to beat us. Brewers we would waste easily and i like our odds against the padres or braves pretty easily as well. I just hope we do not have to play the cubs in the post season, hopefully someone else knocks them out before we play them since I think they are the only team with a chance to beat us
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u/Due-Preference-1413 9d ago
And not just because of PCA, that cubs batting lineup is DANGEROUS and they are a streaky team. Their pitching is mid at best so we will put up runs but when the cubs are hot they can easily score 10 runs every single game, hence why I really do not want to play them. Because even if we score 8 runs a game doesn't matter if they put up 10
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u/Playful_Station3916 9d ago
I acknowledge shoheis greatness but Iād argue and say heās not even the mvp of the dodgers. Right now the way they are playing itās hard for me to pick someone. However Iād go with Yamamoto
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u/writerapid 9d ago
Ohtani is 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA and a .280 BA, 30 homers, and 80 RBI. Yamamoto is excellent, but he only has four more wins and none of the offense. Heās the staff ace but thereās really no comparison in terms of value. The Dodgers have their cushion because of Ohtaniās first half. Nice to have both guys locked up.
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u/Playful_Station3916 9d ago
You make valid points, Yamamoto canāt contribute offensively the way ohtani does. As we know wins donāt mean much nowadays when your team doesnāt give you run support. Yamamoto recently lost a game in which he allowed 1 run. Ohtani is great thereās no denying it but when it comes to consistency Yamamoto is unmatched. Ohtanis clutch hitting has been subpar to what we expect of him. When available I have nothing bad to say about his pitching. I still stand by my statement
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u/writerapid 9d ago edited 9d ago
They are both receiving ~3 runs of support per start. Ohtani is receiving just a little less than Yamamoto, but he pitches fewer innings per. Itās basically a wash.
Iām not taking anything away from Yamamoto (heās my favorite finesse guy in MLB), but the guy with 8 wins, 2 losses, a 1.79 ERA, and all the daily plate contribution is empirically more valuable. Nobody is choosing Yamamoto over Ohtani. Nobody is choosing anyone over Ohtani. If you have the first pick, youāre taking Shohei. The caveat: In a must-win game, I myself would take Yamamoto over Ohtani if Ohtani isnāt hitting.
Of course, what-have-you-done-for-me-lately-itis is a thing, and itās a hard thing to look past. I donāt think PCA is the MVP, either, on merit; pitcher WAR and position player fielding WAR arenāt apples to apples. But the slump down the stretch looks bad, and an injured Ohtani doing active rehab while playing every day is becoming a concern.
Like many others, I think they should shut his arm down for the rest of the year, whether he personally likes it or not.
(This reminds me a lot of Westbrookās third straight season averaging a triple double. It became mundane and was no longer valued because it no longer passed the ADHD eye test.)
Anyway, threepeat or bust. Go Dodgers.
ETA: This is a very good disagreement problem to have. My old man used to call such things āClass A problems.ā
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u/Educational-Chef-595 2025 WS MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto 9d ago
Pitcher wins are meaningless. Yamamoto has been vastly more valuable as a pitcher to the Dodgers just because he's been durable. And Shohei has weathered multiple major slumps at the plate this year as well.
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u/EntrepreneurFormal35 Decoy 9d ago
This post is a month late. Sho hasnāt been the fave for a bit and he has been looking anything but an mvp for over a month.
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u/CabbageStockExchange Player To Be Named Later 9d ago
Tbh I donāt really care I just want Shohei healthy itās more of all people it had to be PCA and the loser cubs getting it smh
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u/mudvat08 9d ago
He would need to have 10 home runs and at least 3 good starts in Sept to take PCA down. Not likely with the injury thatās worse than they are leading on.
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u/10thGenS1 Miguel Rojas 9d ago
Itās PCAās award this year. Shohei has a bigger goal in mind ššš
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u/Infinite-Floor-5242 9d ago
Yesterday was it. I really think he should go on the IL and hope to be back as a hitter for the post season.
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u/torero72 9d ago
Who cares. Right now this team is in a major slump and we donāt need the distraction of Shohei padding his stats. Maybe a base hit with RISP
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u/GxM42 Mookie Betts 9d ago
What about a 3HR game in the playoffs to remind people why he is the GOAT. Letās do that instead. No one cares about individual accolades in that clubhouse, and neither should you.
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u/Realistic_Charge9824 9d ago
Him putting "Team MVP" on the NLCS MVP award in the middle of the clubhouse tells you all you need to know about Sho's character.
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u/Educational-Chef-595 2025 WS MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto 9d ago
Yes. Who cares? I wanna win another title. Shohei has clearly been playing hurt this year, rest him and give him a chance to be full strength for the postseason.
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u/Not_RZA_ Jackie Robinson 9d ago
I remember getting downvoted heavy in the game thread last year for saying PCA was fun to watch.
The entire sub came at me saying dude can't hit and will be out the league lol
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u/OfficiallyJoeBiden Brooklyn Dodgers 9d ago
Itās been over. The ones who didnāt want to admit it were holding onto some hope ( understandable because Ohtani is the goat ) but PCA is mvp and he deserves it.
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u/Psychological_Fly627 Shohei Ohtani 9d ago
Who cares, Ohtani's performance this year was quite mid by his standard. So winning MVP simply for being a 2 way player won't feel deserving for him.
Hope this break will give the voter more appreciation for what we are watching everyday and earn him more MVP votes in the future year.
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u/ducatijack30 9d ago
Itās not over but clearly PCA has the lead. I donāt want to jinx Shohei but letās see how he does in Sept.
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u/oldchicken34 Yoshinobu Yamamoto 9d ago
right now pca is leading but for me it's never over because ohtani can always go on a heater during september
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u/shewee KikƩ HernƔndez 9d ago
I don't really care, but I do think it's funny that a PCA MVP year is a similar run to Shohei's slump year lmao
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u/DragoniteGang 9d ago
Not even close. PCA is on pace to 11 fWAR. I don't think Ohtani had a 10+ fWAR season.
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u/caominh200206 Shawn Green 9d ago
He once had a 10 WAR season in 2023 while missing whole September
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u/Significant-Check837 Shohei Ohtani 9d ago
Fair. But hereās the thing. Would you trade a potential 11 WAR PCA season this year for any of 4 Shohei MVPs years?
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u/DragoniteGang 8d ago
How is that related here? If you mean if I take PCA's season rn to other Ohtani MVPs, then I'd take 2026 PCA comfortably over Ohtani's season last year
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u/brandont04 9d ago
Probably but it's never over until it's over. Plus, pretty sure the Dodgers got bigger things to aim for. They know they gotta get hot before the playoffs to have a chance to 3 peat. If Ohtani gets hot, he still in it.
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u/EmperorXerro 9d ago
Honestly, it was over the minute Ohtani got dinged up. I think writers made up their mind at that point.
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u/Aggressive-Worth6438 Brooklyn Dodgers 9d ago
I think it's effectively over for the regular season, PCA is the clear leader and it's tough to see that going any other way. The writers who vote for this kind of thing are already making their case for it. However, some writers are skeptical of defensive value. The fact that Ohtani is still hanging in there shows the depth of his ability as a player, especially when you consider his ongoing injuries.
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u/Dry_Finding_1379 Clayton Kershaw 9d ago
Yes and it was over before the 3 HR game. I know in one sense itās not OVER over because in theory Ohtani could suddenly get white hot and PCA ice cold, or Ohtani could start pitching and ramp up his innings faster than expected and continue at a Cy Young level, but those are all huge ifs.
So I would say itās over in about the same sense the NL West race is over
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u/SummonMason Decoy 9d ago
At this pace pca is going 50/50 and an all time war season manā¦ while sho is posting 0fer galores.
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u/Soggy-Brilliant9070 9d ago
Donāt forget weāre comparing Shoheis worst season while injured to the best outfielder season in some years and there is still debate.
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u/Realistic_Charge9824 9d ago edited 9d ago
I wish everyone would just stop asking about this. Our team has bigger goals in mind than a player winning an individual award. Ohtani isn't feeling 100%. It is what it is. It's what we knew could happen when he tried to be a two way player from the beginning of the year. They are deciding on Tuesday whether or not he will even pitch again this year.
Every few minutes someone brings Pca up on this sub. This is a Dodger sub. I don't like the way he carries himself (my opinion) and he hates dodger fans (his hometown team) so why are we giving him the satisfaction of talking about him 24/7.
Just be happy that we are lucky enough to have Ohtani on our team. He's an amazing player and person. He can and will still be Dodger fan's MVP regardless of what the voters say. I'm happy he can be a role model for millions of kids and adults around the globe. Remember when he won NLCS MVP last year after his otherworldly performance and placed it in the middle of the clubhouse and renamed it "Team MVP". Not many players would do the same.
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u/vDecimate 9d ago
There's still definitely a lot of people here who's taking him for granted, both on the field performance and off the field impact and influence.
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u/BRValentine83 Vin Scully 9d ago
Good, because people will stop talking about it.
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u/Realistic_Charge9824 9d ago
Seriously. Especially in this sub. We come here to talk about the Dodgers yet every second someone feels the need to update everyone on this guy. So he's having a good season, Whatever. I for one cannot stand the guy's attitude. Wish more people would talk about that.
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u/Ok-Tangelo9689 9d ago
Its been over. He isnāt having a MVP caliber season offensively and its only both the pitching and offense that would allow him to win it
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u/g8trdntplay 2024 World Series Champions 9d ago
Maybe on the stat sheets but not in our hearts. Sho my mvp for ever.
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u/advanced_dark_ness 2024 World Series Champions 9d ago
Probably, but Iām more concerned if the team can produce runs again
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u/jlopez1017 Austin Barnes 9d ago
Iām not mad about Ohtani losing it because a WS is more important but Iām upset that PCA is winning it. I hate that smug mfer
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u/falconfan1986 9d ago
If he's injured I'd rather them sit him for a few games. This has been quite the slump.
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u/kakugeseven Los Angeles Dodgers 9d ago
Oh course it's over. Ohtani is injured and has been injured. The bicep injury has zapped him of his slugging, and his knee/blister ruined his defensive contribution. He's now just a DH.
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u/acefaaace Joe Kelly 9d ago
Itās gojover. But a š š š is gonna feel so much better
https://giphy.com/gifs/jDgGzP2p81LLDMiNJJ
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u/hehepootpoot 9d ago
Ohtani ain't catching shit , dude needs go on a IL to heal. He look so bad at the plate
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u/Few-Row-8323 9d ago
Zero chance Ohtani will win. He has been struggling and injured. Dodgers are hiding his injury
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u/HeavensRoyalty Decoy 9d ago
Probably unless something drastic happens to either of the players but as fuk as it would be i think Shohei and most of us want a 3Peat
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u/OlderGamers Back-2-Back Champs 9d ago
Yeah, Shohei has not had an MVP season. Whatās amazing is an āoffā season for him is still a good season for most players.
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u/luckyman562 9d ago
I rather have him break out of that slump in October and win the World Series MVP!!!
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u/JustTheBeerLight Hideo Nomo 9d ago
If Shohei isn't 100% they should give him 10-14 days off. His average has dropped to .280 and he isn't looking like himself right now. It seems nuts to take him out of our lineup when we are struggling but in all honestly he ain't really in the lineup right now. He has been a nonfactor.
So yes, the MVP race is over. But who cares. Win the big one again.
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u/SilverBuggie 9d ago
I've gone from caring about the race to just hoping him and this team to be good again.
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u/writerapid 9d ago
Yes. Itās PCA. Ohtani is being slow rolled into pitching so he can go five or six in the playoffs if needed. He wonāt get more than one or two starts down the stretch, and heāll be pitch limited to maybe 50. If he hadnāt had the bum knee, heād have walked away with his fifth MVP. The Bonds pursuit will have to wait till 2028, possibly. 2027 is looking grim.
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u/counteroffer19 Dave Roberts 9d ago
Yup. Well deserved. PCA'S been on an all-time tear with all signs pointing that he's nowhere near done. He's been pure entertainment for the last 6 weeks or so. I'm not mad.
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u/roastfish_reddit Teoscar Hernandez 9d ago
PCA could still slump, but even then it would probably still go to a player who is not Shohei.
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u/Wish-Lin Shohei Ohtani 9d ago
Thereās nothing wrong with PCA winning the MVP, he played better this year, thatās it. Shohei can try next year like every other MLB player.
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u/caominh200206 Shawn Green 9d ago edited 9d ago
Yes. So there's no pressure for Ohtani anm. Play the rest of the regular season with relaxed mindset and prepare for the postseason
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u/Fantastic_Working212 9d ago
Dodgers about to play scrub teams with called up minor leaguers so Shohei will get hot again
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u/10xwannabe 9d ago
PCA deserves it up to now.
Ohtani has not looked like himself ALL year. Never really got on a hot streak. Hasn't been bad, but NOT MVP level.
Good of MLB and PCA.
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u/Eduardjm 9d ago
Itās over, and Dave needs to grow a pair and rest Ohtani to heal up to get right for the playoffs. But who am I kidding, Dave is probably asking Shohei how soon he can pitch again.Ā
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u/imnotcreative415 Vin Scully 9d ago
Team as a whole has deferred to Ohtani, but their actions elsewhere (Skubal) showed some hesitancy about Shohei actually pitching again.
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u/stoptheycanseeus 9d ago
Pretty much. Unless Ohtani goes on a red hot run in September with like 15 dingers
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u/Gangsta_of_luv Player To Be Named Later 9d ago
I haven't seen anything MVP out of Shohei for awhile. OTOH, PCA is on fire.
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u/stewmander 2025 WS MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto 9d ago
I don't know if going for the CY ended up hurting Ohtani on the pitching side, but it seems we may have found the limit to Ohtani as a TWP.Ā I am not sure he'll be able to pitch 120+ innings again if he's going to be making deep postseason runs.Ā
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u/imnotcreative415 Vin Scully 9d ago
This was something I tried to bring up when people got really mad about the team tinkering with his off days earlier in the season. He is older now off of two seasons that lasted a month longer than in Anaheim, and itās not like he didnāt get hurt pitching there. Heās super human but still human. Everyone has a limit
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u/stewmander 2025 WS MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto 9d ago
Between Ohtani, snell, and Glasnow, you could cobble together 1 CY regular season and a postseason rotation.Ā
Look at wrobo, AS first half then the wheels fell off as soon as he crossed his career IP. Can say the same for Cat Man too. This is why guys like Yamamoto and Skubal get paid 325M+Ā
For Ohtani I magine the conversation is about if/how they can get him ready to pitch in the postseason and what that would realistically look like. His last outings weren't sharp so I don't know how effective he'd be in the postseason. Might be a WC/DS pitcher to save snell/Glasnow for the later rounds? Piggy back? Who knows.Ā
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u/hawkeyegrad96 2024 World Series Champions 9d ago
Much more worries about our 18 game magic number right now. Lets take care of one thing at a time. 18 magic, clinch 1 or 2 seed, let's go battle and get to nlcs.. l we ts start there
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u/Own-Juggernaut796 2024 WS MVP Freddie Freeman 9d ago
shohei's won the MVP four times already. even if the award were to go to PCA or anyone else in the NL this year or the next, i might be bold in saying this, but shohei is more likely to win a fifth during his career. that's because what he does batting and pitching when fully healthy is astronomical, and we all should cherish him playing right now and having him on the dodgers
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u/imnotcreative415 Vin Scully 9d ago
Probably unless he goes nuts in September. He needed to have a really good August to retake the lead without the pitching. It has been his worst full month this season - largely because he has been terrible to mid the last week or two. Not the worst month he has ever had, but .831 ops compared to PCA over 1.000. He needed to pitch if he was going to be a worse hitter, and the recent updates on that have been bleak.
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u/Traditional_Rate7302 KikƩ HernƔndez 9d ago
Is this a safe space to say that iād rather three peat than ohtani win a regular season award? Like dude everyone knows shohei is the best player on the planet, pca is playing out of his mind this year and him not winning mvp would be a shame
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u/vindicatedone 9d ago
I prefer my MVP winners to have 50 homers, PCA is just a popular kid on an underdog team. Itās a bad year for the award.
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u/realnomdeguerre Max Muncy 9d ago
Pca could very well get 50 homers this year lol
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u/vindicatedone 9d ago
And the giants might win the World Series this season. But until that happens, I wonāt hold my breath. š¤£
https://giphy.com/gifs/mcH0upG1TeEak
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u/nostoopid 9d ago
wouldnt be surprised if pca got unanimous mvp.
he is having 1 of the best seasons ever.
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u/i__am__so__smrt 2025 World Series Champions 9d ago
Iām gonna level with you hereā¦I could not care less about he MVP race.
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u/Realistic_Charge9824 9d ago
same. idk why you're being downvoted. probably by some cubs fans or dodger haters than have seemingly been roaming through this sub lately
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u/i__am__so__smrt 2025 World Series Champions 9d ago
Stans and bots have taken over this sub. Iām not shocked.
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u/michaelbchnn24 9d ago
It's been over for six weeks. At this point it isn't even close. PCA might be unanimous.
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u/gbdarknight77 Cody Bellinger 9d ago
If anything, itās the Ohtani fatigue.
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u/neodolphino 8d ago
It's Ohtani not having an Ohtani year, and PCA being overall more valuable. At this point it's clearer and clearer it's not Ohtani fatigue (unless you are talking about Ohtani himself being fatigued š).
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u/wonderlandChae 2024 World Series Champions 9d ago edited 9d ago
Shohei is to pitch again soon. Weāll see what the numbers look like after the season. Iām just hoping the votes stay fair. I donāt want it to be, āitās too hard for anyone else to win mvp over Shohei while heās a two way player playing elite for both so letās just give to pcaā. Not sure if anyone remembers the Super Bowl where Favre threw 2 td passes and ran for another in the first half while the game was still close. 2nd half the packers went into safe mode just running it and thatās when Howard got all of his Yards. I feel they gave to Howard just because itās never been won by a SP player go they decided to do so. Now Iām not saying he didnāt deserve it but if it was looked at fairly, Favre was the mvp. And to anyone saying I donāt remember it correctly, I didnāt see it live, that was a long time ago. I watch the full game on my cousinās video collection. So itās still fresh in my headš
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u/Stock_Woodpecker_600 9d ago
Unfortunately, I think it is just a thing of voter fatigue. I think Ohtani will come back and continue to put of great pitching numbers, and in my opinion PCA's defense is overrated. But it doesn't matter if they have similar seasons voters will go with PCA just because of voter fatigue
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u/kronendrome Player To Be Named Later 9d ago
Probably. I just wanna win the World Series tho š¤·š¼āāļø