Shohei Ohtani (28-LA Angels) is on a roll.메이저사이트
MLB.com, the official website of Major League Baseball, announced on Thursday that Ohtani was named the league’s Player of the Month for June. He was also named American League Player of the Week, along with Domingo Herrmann (New York Yankees).
Ohtani had a “spectacular” June. While his pitching performance was outstanding, going 5-1 with a 3.02 ERA in 30 and one-third innings in five starts, his batting performance was staggering. In 27 games, he hit .394 (41-for-104) with 15 home runs and 29 RBIs, a .952 slugging percentage and a 1.444 OPS (on-base percentage plus slugging percentage). With a ridiculous 15 home runs per month, he is leading the American League home run race this season.
The pace didn’t slow down until the last week of June. In fact, it got hotter. He hit six home runs in seven games, putting him on pace to win the home run title this season. MLB.com said, “Ohtani continued his historic season last week. His selection is well-deserved.”
The two-hit performance also makes him a clear favourite to win his second American League Most Valuable Player (MVP) award since 2021. According to Baseball-Reference, Ohtani’s Wins Above Replacement (WAR) this season is already at 6.7 with just over half the season played. He could surpass his 2021 mark of around 9.0 as early as the summer, and is on pace to reach the 10+ mark that would be considered “all-time great. Only Barry Bonds (2001, 2002), Mookie Betts (2018), Aaron Judge (2022), Mike Trout (2012, 2016) and Zack Greinke (2009) have posted a Baseball-Reference WAR of 10 or more in the 21st century.
Hermann, who was named Player of the Week alongside Ohtani, also made headlines last month when he pitched the 24th perfect game in MLB history against the Oakland Athletics on 29 June. It was the first in 11 years since King Felix (then of the Seattle Mariners) in 2012. Unlike Ohtani, he had a disappointing season, but his history-making achievement makes him a worthy candidate for Player of the Week.National League winner Ronald Acuña Jr. (Atlanta Braves), the reigning MVP, was also named National League Player of the Week. According to MLB.com, “Acuña Jr. posted a five-homer, 1.916 OPS last week. He also stole three bases and helped lead Atlanta to a six-game winning streak. With 21 homers and 40 doubles in 84 games this season, including four in a row, Acuña Jr. is on pace to reach 40 homers and 70 doubles in the same season, an unprecedented feat. “He’s the first player to hit 20 or more home runs and steal 35 or more bases in the first half,” MLB.com wrote of him.
Despite being overshadowed by Ohtani, Acuña’s numbers are equally impressive. His three-day Baseball-Reference WAR is 4.8. At his current pace, he could easily reach 8 or more. Eight is a huge number. However, there’s been relatively little spotlight on Acuña. That’s because he lives in the same era as Ohtani, who won Rookie of the Year the same year.