Shohei Ohtani Sweeps Past Texas Rangers Duo for AL MVP
Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien and shortstop Corey Seager were unable to overtake Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani for the American League MVP award, which was presented on Thursday.
In fact, it wasn’t close. Ohtani claimed each of the 30 first-place votes, in spite of missing the season’s final month due to a UCL injury. The award is given for regular-season performance. But, by then, Ohtani had done enough.
Ohtani finished 2023 with a slash line of .304/.412/.654/1.066 with 44 home runs and 95 RBI, with his home run total leading the American League. As a pitcher he went 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA with 167 strikeouts and 55 walks.
He won the MVP award for the first time in 2021. He is set to be a free agent, with the Rangers rumored to be a suitor.
Seager came in second and Semien came in third in voting. They were finalist for the award, the first time two Rangers were finalists in the same year. Semien was a finalist for the third time, while Seager was a finalist in 2016.
Semien and Seager were key cogs in helping the Rangers win their first World Series.
Semien slashed .276/.348/.478/.826 with 29 home runs, 29 doubles, 100 RBI and 122 runs, leading the AL in hits (185), runs, plate appearances (a club-record 753) and at-bats (670).
Semien started all 179 games for Texas in the regular season and postseason, totaling 835 plate appearances, setting MLB records in both categories for a single season.
Seager slashed .327/.390/.623/1.013 with 33 home runs, 42 doubles, and 96 RBI, ranking among AL leaders in doubles (first), batting average (second), OPS (second), slugging percentage (second), extra-base hits (tied for second, 75), home runs (tied for fifth) and RBI (tied for 10th).
The two-time World Series MVP batted .318 w/ six home runs and 12 RBI in 17 postseason games. His MVP award made him the fourth player in MLB history to win multiple World Series MVP awards: Sandy Koufax (1965, 1963), Bob Gibson (1967, 1964) and Reggie Jackson (1977, 1973).
Postseason BBWAA Award Winners
American League
MVP: Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
Rookie of the Year: Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore.
Cy Young: Gerrit Cole, New York Yankees.
Manager of the Year: Brandon Hyde, Baltimore.
National League
MVP: Ronald Acuña Jr., Atlanta
Rookie of the Year: Corbin Carroll, Arizona.
Cy Young: Blake Snell, San Diego.
Manager of the Year: Skip Schumaker, Miami.
You can find Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard.
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