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Shohei Ohtani and Jose Ramirez are in their 30s and have turned out to be the best hitters of this decade. Though Ohtani has won two MVPs and may be on his way to achieving his third, Ramirez has more home runs than him. So far in their respective MLB careers, Ramirez has hit 283 home runs while Ohtani has 275.
According to MLB insider Zack Meisel, when Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers traveled to Cleveland in May, some writers entered the Guardians locker room to chat with Ramirez about the two-time MVP. One reporter suggested that Ramirez has in fact more home runs than Ohtani.
Ramírez, however, quickly dismissed the notion that the comparison was in his favor. He reminded the group that Ohtani’s statistics from his years playing professionally in Japan should also be counted.
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The Guardians slugger delivered a perfect punchline to one-up himself over Ohtani. He said:
"I'm more beautiful."
Ramirez was right to point out that if Ohtani's HR number from his time playing in Japan is also taken into consideration, the two-year younger Japanese slugger has an edge over him.
Ohtani has hit 48 home runs across his first five seasons in NPB, where he represented Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. During this time, the two-way star batted .284, to go along with 297 hits, 166 RBIs and 13 stolen bases.
Shohei Ohtani might win another unanimous MVP this fall
Shohei Ohtani, who became the first player in MLB history to register a 50-50 season before winning his second MVP unanimously, might be on his way to another unanimous award this fall.
His elite batting numbers go well with his defensive value as a starting pitcher, making him an easy candidate to give first-place votes to.
In 149 games, Ohtani has hit .282 with 162 hits, 51 homers, 95 RBIs and 137 runs scored. Meanwhile, on the pitching front, Ohtani has posted a 1-1 record with a 3.29 ERA in 13 games started. He has struck out 54 hitters in 41.0 innings pitched.
Ohtani's prime NL MVP contender is Philadelphia Phillies designated hitter Kyle Schwarber, who has slugged 53 home runs this season. However, there is no defensive value, Schwarber brings to the table, making his case for NL MVP an easy second best.
