Superstar Shohei Ohtani of the world champion Los Angeles Dodgers has unanimously been named National League Most Valuable Player for 2024, and in the process he's made Major League Baseball history (again). When the Baseball Writers Association of America announced the results of the vote on Thursday, Ohtani became the first primary designated hitter in MLB history to win an MVP award. Ohtani, who won MVP honors for the third time in his seven-season MLB career, got all 30 first-place votes after becoming the first player in MLB history to hit 50 homers and steal 50 bases in the same season.
Ohtani now becomes just the 12th player in MLB history to win the MVP award at least three times. It was his first National League MVP in his first season with the Dodgers. Ohtani previously won American League MVP honors in 2021 and 2023 with the Angels. Ohtani is just the second player in MLB history to win MVP honors in both the American and National Leagues, joining Frank Robinson (1961 NL MVP and 1966 AL MVP)
Ohtani was a unanimous winner in 2024, just like Aaron Judge of the Yankees, who got all 30 votes for the AL award. Francisco Lindor of the Mets finished second behind Ohtani and Ketel Marte of the Diamondbacks was third in voting.
Below are the full voting results. The thirty voters all selected a top 10 on their MVP ballots, and 23 different players got NL MVP votes in 2024.
2024 NL MVP voting breakdown
Prior to Ohtani's win, the highest a primary DH -- meaning a player who spent the majority of his games played at DH during the season in question -- had ever finished in the MVP balloting was second. That was achieved by Paul Molitor of the Blue Jays in 1993, Frank Thomas of the White Sox in 2000, David Ortiz of the Red Sox in 2005, and Victor Martinez of the Tigers in 2014.
Ohtani previously won the American League MVP award as a member of the Angels in 2021 and 2023 while serving as their DH, but his two-way value as a starting pitcher during those seasons played an essential role in his winning the award. This past season, Ohtani didn't pitch as he recovered from a hybrid Tommy John surgical procedure performed on his throwing elbow and thus was limited to hitting duty only. Ohtani, who is recovering from shoulder surgery after picking up an injury in the World Series, is expected to be back on the mound in 2025.
In his first season since signing a record $700 million, heavily deferred free-agent contract with the Dodgers, Ohtani batted .310/.390/.646, which was good for an NL-leading OPS+ of 190. As well, with 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases, Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to top 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases in the same season. Ohtani's 2024 WAR of 9.2 topped the senior circuit, and he also became the first player since Barry Bonds and Luis Gonzalez in 2001 to top 400 total bases in a season.
Buoyed by Ohtani's production, the Dodgers en route to winning the World Series secured MLB's best record during the regular season at 98-64.