THE APEX TIMES
The Dodgers star earns a spot among the National League’s three Most Valuable Player Award finalists, with Pete Crow-Armstrong and Brice Turang joining him.
Shohei Ohtani, despite missing time late in the season with injuries, has been named a finalist for the 2026 National League Most Valuable Player Award. The Baseball Writers’ Association of America selected the finalists, and MLB announced the group on MLB Network on Monday.
Ohtani was the only Dodger to finish in the top three in balloting for any of the five BBWAA awards, according to MLB’s recap of the voting.
As a hitter, Ohtani posted an.889 OPS and hit 30 home runs, with a 143 OPS+. As a pitcher, he went 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA and a 237 ERA+ through 14 starts.
MLB said Ohtani stopped pitching after July 3 as a lingering left knee issue limited him, and a right biceps problem that had flared earlier began bothering him again around the same time. After Aug. 7, he began a throwing progression, then hit.205 the rest of the way, including a minimum-length 15-day injured list stint in September.
The other NL MVP finalists are Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong and Brewers second baseman Brice Turang. MLB said the NL MVP and AL MVP winners will be announced on Nov. 12 on MLB Network at 4 p.m. PT.