Angels star Mike Trout congratulates Shohei Ohtani as Japanese phenom wins his second AL MVP award: "Proud of you, brother"

Los Angeles Angels slugger Mike Trout congratulated Shohei Ohtani after the Japanese star landed his second AL MVP award in three years. The two-way star was phenomenal for the Angels over the majority of the season, carrying the team with his dazzling performances on both sides of the ball.

Trout took to X (formerly Twitter) to congratulate his former teammate. He tweeted:

"Congrats on an epic year and well deserved MVP. Proud of you, brother!"

Shohei Ohtani crossed the Pacific to join the Los Angeles Angels in 2018 as one of the best players in Japan. While expectations were high for the two-way star, nobody would have expected him to take the MLB by storm the way he has in the last five years.

Having won the Rookie of the Year award in his debut season, the best of Ohtani was yet to come. He went on to hit for the cycle in 2019 and continued his phenomenal performances to win his first AL MVP award in 2021.

In 2023, the majority of the Angels roster was hugely disappointing for long stretches of the season, and the team heavily relied on Ohtani to pull them through. He obliged happily and seemed to break records almost every time he took to the field.

Despite being sidelined multiple times due to injuries, Ohtani finished the season on the mound with a 10-5 record, 3.14 ERA and 167 strikeouts in 23 starts. He finished with a .304 average and 44 home runs from the plate.

Shohei Ohtani becomes first player in MLB history to win AL MVP by unanimous vote twice

Despite a season riddled with injuries, Shohei Ohtani's superhuman performances for the Los Angeles Angels have earned him his second AL MVP in three years. It is also the first time in the history of the MLB that a player has won the award by unanimous vote on two occasions.

Ohtani won his first AL MVP in 2021 and finished second in 2022.

The two-way Japanese superstar is now the top targeted free agent in the market and is expected to attract the biggest contract in the history of the sport in the coming weeks of the offseason.