Incredible stat shows why Shohei Ohtani is the MVP of all pro sports

Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani is a once-in-a-lifetime, generational talent on the baseball diamond. And there may not be a more valuable player in any professional sport than the newly crowned 2023 American League MVP.

On Thursday, Ohtani won his second unanimous MVP Award, becoming the first player in MLB history to do so. While that stat might be impressive, Ohtani's dominance stretches beyond the base paths. According to OptaStats, Ohtani is the only player in MLB, NBA, NFL and NHL history to win MVP unanimously on a team that finished the season below .500 and he's now accomplished the incredible feat twice. 

During the 2023 season, Ohtani led the AL in home runs (44), on-base percentage (.412), slugging (.654) and OPS (1.066). Before suffering a torn UCL in his throwing elbow in late August, Ohtani was also arguably one of the best pitchers in baseball. In 23 starts for the Angels, Ohtani went 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA and 1.06 WHIP over 132 innings.  

It's been a heck of a 2023 for Ohtani, winning the World Baseball Classic with Japan before earning unanimous MVP honors again. However, the best is yet to come for the two-way phenom as free agency and a potential record-breaking contract are in his future. Despite his elbow injury keeping him off the mound for 2024 and perhaps longer, Ohtani is still in line to sign a deal worth upwards of $500 million on the open market this winter.

Unsurprisingly, nearly every MLB team is interested in Ohtani's services and almost all will at least inquire. Several teams have emerged as front runners to this point, including the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets and defending World Series champion Texas Rangers.