Shohei Ohtani was the first player in MLB to touch the $700 million contract value, only to be breached by Juan Soto with a $765 million deal. For reference, only these two guys could touch the $700 million mark till now. This reveals the value these two players offer to their teams. The obvious question was always who was better between these two. Shohei Ohtani is widely considered the better player compared to Juan Soto due to his unique ability to excel as both a pitcher and a hitter. However, MLB’s latest poll regarding the projected 2025 NL MVP says otherwise.
So, who’s better between Soto and Ohtani? Ohtani concluded 2024 with 159 games played, a batting average of .310, a league-high 54 home runs, 130 RBI, and 59 SBs. In addition, he became the first and only player in MLB history to steal 50 bases and hit 50 home runs in one season. On the other hand, Juan Soto also had an outstanding season in 2024, hitting 41 home runs and 109 RBIs. In addition, his slugging percentage was .569, and his OBP was .419. There are some neck-and-neck figures offered by both last year.
Juan Soto comes in ahead of Shohei Ohtani as the favorite for the 2025 National League MVP on https://t.co/Z3s2EpgF39's latest poll
https://t.co/e8lLmniLcS pic.twitter.com/SIn6WAUYaO
— MLB (@MLB) March 7, 2025
Well, anticipating Ohtani’s return as a two-way player this year, he was projected as the top favorite to win NL MVP 2025. However, the MLB’s poll says that Juan Soto is ahead of Shohei Ohtani here! Why? This season, Soto is predicted to post an OBP of over .400, which will set a record for the eighth straight season since his debut. Conversely, FanGraphs Baseball projects Ohtani’s OBP to be approximately .376. Anyway the MVP award goes, the Mets and Dodgers are the teams that are going to benefit from these top two players.
Teams’ readiness to support Soto and Ohtani
While Ohtani is set to add value to the Dodgers’ pitching and batting rotation, Soto is taking charge at the Mets’ bases. So, how are these two teams equipped to support the NL’s top two bets? It seems to be a battle between the Mets’ batting rotation and the Dodgers’ pitching squad. The Mets’ batting order is defined by Francisco Lindor hitting leadoff, Juan Soto batting second, and Pete Alonso batting third. They also got Starling Marte as DH and Brandon Nimmo in cleanup. Their bases are equipped with batters having .200+ BA—enough to support Soto.
The Dodgers have added Japanese star Roki Sasaki, All-Star reliever Tanner Scott, and Blake Snell. The Dodgers boast arguably the finest rotation in baseball with Ohtani, Sasaki, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, and Snell. That doesn’t even include outsiders like Bobby Miller and Tony Gonsolin. Despite not considering Ohtani as a pitcher, the Dodgers still have two Japanese pitchers with 150+ Sos. According to MLB insider Sarah Langs, “the Dodgers’ pitching rotation is projected to make baseball history”—enough scope for Shohei Ohtani to focus more on his hitting and score better than Soto this year.
Both Ohtani and Soto are poised to become the NL MVP 2025. The upcoming regular season will unveil who among these two will have the last laugh, or, if anyone else gets into the scene. Who do you think can make it to the 2025 NL MVP? Share with us below.
The post Despite Shohei Ohtani’s Return to Two-Way Play, a Surprising Rival Leaps Ahead Of Him In NL MVP Race appeared first on EssentiallySports.
