Exploring Ohtani's Dominance in the MVP Race for 2024

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00:00Now let's talk Shohei Otani, because his field is a little different, right?

00:07Bryce Harper comes to mind, Marceau Ozuna comes to mind, Otani to win MVP is minus 550.

00:13I'm seeing this number for the first time, evidently, and any other player or the field

00:17is plus 390.

00:19So Harper, Ozuna, does anyone take this from Otani?

00:22I say no.

00:24I say no, too.

00:25The disintegration of that rotation has been something where, and Mookie Betts getting

00:30hurt, too, I think really helped Otani's odds here, too, because, you know, for a while

00:34there in April, it was Betts in April and May that was ahead of Otani for this award.

00:38That injury to Betts really opened the floodgates for Otani.

00:42And Otani does have a path here.

00:43He is, you know, Aaron Judge is 35, 40 points behind the batting average to Bobby Witt.

00:48That's probably not going to catch up.

00:51But Otani's in striking distance or leading in all the major categories here for a triple

00:55crown.

00:56So Otani, I think, deserves it at this point because the Dodgers have been great.

01:01They've lost Betts.

01:02They've lost their entire rotation at one point.

01:04I mean, it's pretty spectacular what he's done.

01:07He has put this team on his back and he has carried them.

01:09And Teoska's been good and Freddie Freeman's been terrific, but it's still Otani at the

01:13end of the day that you fear in that lineup more than anybody else.

01:16So again, barring catastrophe, I think it's, I think it's easier to make a case for the

01:20field in the American League than it is in the National League, even to be honest with

01:24you, because if the Yankees do fade out of it and just, I mean, something horrible in

01:28terms of they just can't get back on track and, and you know, the media starts destroying

01:33them that could hurt his candidacy.

01:36So you're still getting plus 270 on the field in the American League and the National League.

01:41I think it's strictly injury to Otani.

01:43That's the only thing.

01:44And imagine next year when he's back pitching, I mean, are we going to get minus odds in

01:48Otani to start the year for MVP, Matt?

01:50It's possible, right?