Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani wants to add to his resume in Major League Baseball before accepting an award from his home country of Japan.
Reuters (h/t the Japan Times) reported Japan considered giving Ohtani an award to recognize his accomplishments in the United States as the American League MVP for the 2021 campaign. However, he declined the award at this stage.
"We approached Ohtani's side about giving him the People's Honor Award, but he declined, saying it was still too early," Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said. "The impression was that he wants to concentrate to attain still greater heights.