Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts Can Do Something No Teammates Have Done Since 1995

Betts and Ohtani are on a historic pace.

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The top two hitters of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ lineup are on a tear that could end up being historic by the time the season is over. Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts are both having phenomenal seasons through the first week of May — even for their standards.

As a duo, they also have the opportunity to do something historic this season. Ohtani and Betts currently rank top-two in MLB in WAR — wins above replacement. WAR is a statistic that measures how many more wins a player is worth over a replacement-level player from his position. 

Betts ranks first with a 3.0 WAR, while Ohtani ranks second with a 2.7 WAR, per Fan Graphs. If they were to finish the season ranked first and second, they would become the first teammates to do so since Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez did so in 1995 while playing for the 1995 Seattle Mariners.

Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani rank 1st and 2nd in the majors in WAR. If they finish 1-2 this season, they’ll be the first teammates to do so since Ken Griffey Jr. and Alex Rodriguez with the 1995 Mariners. https://t.co/vT8gaK0Rqb pic.twitter.com/3ubpEzhADr

— FanGraphs Baseball (@fangraphs) May 8, 2024

Even if they don’t finish the season leading MLB in WAR, they could very well lead the league in another major category. Both players are near the top of the leaderboard in many hitting categories. Betts and Ohtani are currently tied for second in MLB in runs, with 32 each, only trailing Kansas City Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. 

They rank first and second in hits, as Ohtani has 54 and Betts has 53. They also rank first and second in total bases (Ohtani 103, Betts 85) and first and third in on-base percentage (Betts .451, Ohtani .425). Finally, they rank first and third in batting average with Ohtani hitting .355 and Betts hitting .346. 

There’s still a lot of baseball left this season and both players will need to stay healthy and consistent to remain at the top of these statistical categories. If they manage to, both will undoubtedly become All-Stars and could go down as one of the best leadoff duos in a single season ever.