"You are in Shohei Ohtani era" - Ex-Twins slugger envisions 7 MVPs for 'Shotime', foresees slim prospects for Marcell Ozuna and Ketel Marte in 2024

Shohei Ohtani is having a phenomenal season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. As the Dodgers swept the Seattle Mariners on Wednesday, bringing their record to 76-52, they now lead the NL West and the league overall. Meanwhile, Ohtani prepares for his first postseason debut after years of waiting.

Trevor Plouffe, a former Minnesota Twins slugger, firmly believed that this year’s MVP winner would be no one but Shohei Ohtani. On “Baseball Today," joining Katie Woo of The Athletic, Plouffe shared his insights on Ohtani’s strong MVP candidacy for this season.

“It's gonna happen. Shohei Ohtani is a clear MVP, okay, if I had to vote, it's Shohei … What Shohei is doing is beyond anything that we've ever seen," Plouffe said [time stamp - 717:15]. “He's got a chance to go 50/50 this year and I'm not a baseball historian but I'm pretty sure that's never happened before.”

As Ohtani gets closer to joining the historic 50/50 club, the anticipation of him winning his third MVP title as the first DH-only player in MLB history grows stronger. He’s one home run and a steal away from entering the 40/40 club. Despite having Marcell Ozuna of the Atlanta Braves and the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Ketel Marte, Ohtani will have the last light, Plouffe believed.

"He's going to be the MVP. So, great on Ozuna; you're having a great year or Ketel Marte; you're having a great year. [But] you're playing in the Shohei Ohtani era. This guy's gonna win seven MVPs by the end of it. He's just that special, 50/50 incoming for show.”

According to FanGraph, he’s behind Francisco Lindor (6.2) for NL WAR with 6.0. As of Thursday, Ohtani leads the NL in runs (96), home runs (39), SLG (.610), OPS (.988), and total bases (302) in 125 games.

How close is Shohei Ohtani to winning the 2024 MVP?

Katie Woo of The Athletic shared that her voting heavily depends on players’ playoff participation and their ability to lead in the postseason.

“When I'm looking at an MVP, I always weigh into where a player is in terms of where his team is. So, if your team is competing for the postseason, that to me adds value to your Most Valuable Player campaign,” Woo said. [time stamp: 15:35]

Fortunately, Shohei Ohtani fits those criteria as the Dodgers are almost guaranteed a playoff spot and might even get a bye if they hold onto their momentum.

Meanwhile, according to mlb.com, Ohtani’s NL MVP odds are -2100. Following him is Ketel Marte (+850). Per Fox Sports, Shohei shifted to -3000 from -1200 over the past week, making him a strong candidate for winning the MVP award this year.