Ohtani joins Frank Robinson as 2nd player to win MVP in both leagues

Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani added to his legacy Thursday night when he became the second player in baseball history to win the Most Valuable Player Award in both the American and National Leagues, and the first to do so in back-to-back seasons.

Ohtani, 30, won the award twice with the Angels -- in 2021 and last year. This year, he found himself in the National League and didn’t miss a beat with the Dodgers, becoming the first player in Major League history with 50 homers and 50 steals in a season.

But long before Ohtani put himself in the record books, Frank Robinson was the first to win baseball’s top award in both leagues -- first as a member of the Reds in 1961 and then with the Orioles five years later. That distinction lasted 58 years until Ohtani joined him Thursday.

In 1961, Robinson was the No. 1 reason Cincinnati went as far as the World Series before losing to the Yankees in five games. He received 15 of the 16 first-place votes [teammate Joey Jay received the other vote] to win the National League MVP. Robinson led Cincinnati in Wins Above Replacement (7.7, bWAR) and had a slash line of .323/404/.611.

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Five years later, Cincinnati gave Robinson extra motivation to be the best in baseball. The team traded him to the Orioles for right-hander Milt Pappas and two other players because Robinson, as Reds owner Bill Dewitt put it, “was an old 30.” Robinson ended up making history by winning the Triple Crown and helping the Orioles to their first World Series title. A few weeks later, he was the unanimous MVP in the American League.

“Remember, [Robinson] … was as old as Ohtani. Nobody refers to Ohtani as an old 30,” said Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Palmer, who was Robinson’s teammate from 1966-1971. “Frank was an exceptional player. Frank made you think you were going to win. He was a leader, because if he saw something, he was going to say something. … He made everybody better like what M.J. [Michael Jordan] did with the Bulls.”

When he was managing the Nationals in 2006, Robinson was surprised that no other Major Leaguer won the MVP in both leagues. He felt with free agency in place starting in 1975, more players would join him in that special category.

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Mark Langill is the official historian for the Dodgers, and he has a different perspective on why it took 58 years for a player like Ohtani to win the award in both leagues.

“I think it’s more luck of the draw in terms of players moving [to another team],” Langill said. “You can have a great season and, like in golf, somebody else could be better than you. It’s not like the batting title. This is an election. This isn’t a stat. It’s not something automatic.

“Think about this: In 1924, pitcher Dazzy Vance was the National League MVP. Rogers Hornsby finished second and hit .424. That’s the crazy thing. You have an election and it’s still up to chance. Anything with an election, there is always wiggle room on the result. You can get edged. It’s not like you are leading the league in homers. That’s something you have control over. You don’t have control over an election.”

So who could be the next player to win the MVP in both leagues? It very well could be another Dodger -- Mookie Betts won the MVP with the Red Sox in 2018. But since he joined the Dodgers, Betts finished second behind Freddie Freeman in 2020 and Ronald Acuña Jr. three years later.

“[Betts] can do anything he wants,” said MLB analyst Harold Reynolds. “He can hit home runs. He can steal bases. He can get a man over. He can play short, second base, right field and center field. He is the consummate team player. He has everything. What’s not to like? It’s easy to go in that direction [and pick Betts to win the National League MVP].”