Japanese phenom Shohei Ohtani says he's having a better season than last year as MVP race heats up

Reigning American League MVP Shohei Ohtani is unlike any other player we have ever seen. The two-way phenom has set the bar so high that hitting 60 home runs without credible pitching statistics could be deemed insufficient by many.

Hence, Ohtani remains in this season’s AL MVP conversation, despite the Los Angeles Angels not making the playoffs for the eighth year running.

"Right back at ya Shohei @Angels | #GoHalos" - Bally Sports West

There is a strong consensus among baseball fans that New York Yankees superstar Aaron Judge deserves to win this year’s MVP title. Based on the phenomenal season Judge is having, it’s very hard to dispute that verdict.

Let’s not forget, Mark McGwire wasn’t crowned NL MVP in 1999 despite hitting 65 home runs that year. Instead, it was Chipper Jones who won the coveted prize back then.

Home runs alone haven’t always guaranteed “most valuable” status. How much of that applies to the modern game, though?

According to Shohei Ohtani himself, via The Athletic, he has been performing at a higher level than the year before.

"One thing I could say is, overall, balance-wise, I’m having a better season this year than I had last year” - Shohei Ohtani

There is plenty of substance to back up Shohei Ohtani’s claim. If his numbers from last year are compared to this year, there’s an uptick in several metrics - especially on the pitching side:

2021, Pitching - 9 W, 2 L, 3.18 ERA, 130.1 IP, 98 Hits, 48 Runs, 15 HR, 44 BB, 156 SO, 1.09 WHIP

2022, Pitching - 13 W, 8 L, 2.43 ERA, 148.0 IP, 118 Hits, 42 Runs, 14 HR, 36 BB, 196 SO, 1.04 WHIP

2021, Hitting - 46 HRs, 100 RBIs, 26 SBs, 138 Hits, 103 Runs, .257 Avg, .372 OBP, .592 SLG, .964 OPS

2022, Hitting - 34 HRs, 89 RBIs, 11 SBs, 138 Hits, 82 Runs, .266 Avg, .356 OBP, .536 SLG, .892 OPS

Taking all of that into account, let’s also consider Ohtani’s adversary for the MVP crown and his phenomenal year.

How do Aaron Judge's stats compare with Shohei Ohtani's?

What Aaron Judge has done this season goes beyond home runs. He has gone deep 59 times this year, only two big swings away from Roger Maris’ longstanding AL home run record. But that’s not all he has accomplished this season.

With four hits in five at-bats on Sunday against the Brewers, Judge is now batting .316. He is only one point behind AL leader Luis Arraez (.317) of the Twins and is tied with Xander Bogaerts (.316) of the Red Sox.

Judge also has a league-leading 127 RBIs to his name, which keeps him in contention to win the MLB’s first Triple Crown since Miguel Cabrera in 2012. If successful, he would also become the first Yankee since Mickey Mantle in 1956 to accomplish that feat.

History has always attracted votes. It’s a matter of time before Judge breaks Maris’ record, but the Triple Crown seems like the hardest of the two deals to crack. If Judge can manage to do that, the MVP race will truly be over.

Until that happens, Shohei Ohtani will remain in the mix. He isn't going to be involved in the postseason, but he still has two more weeks to statpad his astonishing numbers. Will that make a difference to his MVP chances? Possibly not, but then again, stranger things have happened.