LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Los Angeles Angels’ two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani added another award to his trophy chest on Monday after the Japanese slugger won the Outstanding Designated Hitter (OHD) award for the 2021 season, Major League Baseball said.
Ohtani, a starting pitcher who also hits, was unanimously named the American League’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) earlier this month and is the first player to earn MVP and ODH awards in the same season.
The 27-year-old posted a slash line of .258/.373/.608 with 92 runs scored, 122 hits, 20 doubles, eight triples, 43 home runs, 91 RBI and 25 stolen bases across 126 games as a DH for the Angels.
J.D. Martinez of the Boston Red Sox finished second in the vote of club beat writers, broadcasters and public relations departments with nominees including all players with a minimum of 100 at-bats as a DH.
Ohtani, who is often compared to MLB great Babe Ruth because of his ability to pitch and hit at an elite level, is only the second Japanese player to win the MVP award. Ichiro Suzuki earned the honors in 2001 as a member of the Seattle Mariners.
(Reporting by Rory Carroll in Los Angeles; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
