A Unanimous Duo! Acuña, Ohtani named MVPs

Does Shohei Ohtani’s injury open the door for a different AL MVP? Seven more contenders for the 2023 award

Marcus Semien, Rangers: He might be the best chance here with the gaudy WAR showing while playing every day for what has been one of the best teams in the league this season, especially with that team being such a pleasant surprise. But are you moved by his .279/.349/.463 slash that’s good for a 120 OPS+? How about 31 doubles, four triples, 19 homers, 79 RBI, 96 runs and 13 steals? Great numbers, but we’re talking about MVP over Ohtani’s output.

Corey Seager, Rangers: He’s hitting a robust .343/.411/.651 (184 OPS+) and that’s absolutely an MVP slash line. Of course, he’s not even qualified for the batting title. Even if he plays every single game the rest of the way, he’ll finish with 119 games. That’s short of Ohtani. Seager would have to keep up this ridiculous pace and not miss any games and still probably would be well short of Ohtani in terms of individual value. If the argument against Ohtani is games played, he’d still have more. If it’s value to the team during a pennant race, Semien’s been around all year for the Rangers. I’m just not seeing it.