The Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani is the best player in baseball now. But is he the greatest baseball player of all time?
Former National League MVP Joey Votto went on “The Dan Patrick Show” on Thursday morning and voiced his opinion about the two-way superstar.
“I really think we might be in the middle of one of, if not the greatest, season in the history of baseball,” Votto said.
After making his MLB debut with the Angels in 2018, Ohtani has done plenty of incredible things. He’s the first player to collect more than 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in a season, he’s a four-time MVP, five-time All-Star, four-time Silver Slugger and two-time World Series champion.
But it seems the best is yet to come.
After returning to the mound last season and collecting 62 strikeouts with a 2.87 ERA, Ohtani is the front-runner to be the NL Cy Young Award winner this year.
Through nine starts, he’s nearly replicated last season’s strikeout production by collecting 61, has a 0.82 ERA and has pitched five or more innings in each start.
Ohtani is second in WAR (4.1) behind the Phillies’ Cristopher Sanchez.
When May began, Ohtani’s bat went cold, and his average dropped to .233. Through his last 15 games, Ohtani started to heat up, hitting .321 with three home runs and 14 RBIs.
Votto, who earned the NL MVP Award in 2010 with the Reds, believes the Dodgers superstar is on his way to winning his fifth MVP and is putting himself in the conversation as the greatest baseball player of all time.
“It’s gonna be five in six years if he wins it. It’s gonna be unanimous if he wins it,” Votto said. “We’re talking about one of the great athletes of the 21st century.”
