As Shohei Ohtani stole his 49th base of the season on Wednesday, bringing him within one stolen base and two home runs of the first 50/50 season in MLB history, he becomes an even clearer favorite to win the National League MVP award.
Ohtani, who has previously won the American League MVP award twice with the Los Angeles Angels, has been the favorite to win his third MVP award in MLB for much of the 2024 season. The primary case against Ohtani has been that he is only a designated hitter this season, but he continues to prove that doesn’t matter as he approaches 50/50.