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‘Unbelievable’: Red Sox’ J.D. Martinez believes Shohei Ohtani’s 2-way game makes him MVP favorite
"It’s crazy to have a player with that much talent be able to do both things."
If Angels pitcher and designated hitter Shohei Ohtani keeps pitching and hitting the way he has all season, Red Sox DH J.D. Martinez believes there’s only one conclusion.
“If this guy comes out and hits .270 with 30 home runs and wins 12 games, he has to be your MVP,” Martinez told reporters on Tuesday. “What other player is more valuable than that, right? To be able to do it on both sides is unbelievable.”
Ohtani has a shot at reaching Martinez’s lofty benchmarks. So far this season, he is 3-1 with a 2.58 ERA and 82 strikeouts on the mound. At the plate, he is batting .278 and leads the league with 28 home runs after belting a pair of them on Tuesday.
Martinez was asked if he thinks Ohtani can hit 50 homers.
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“That’s a lot,” Martinez said. “Do I think he can? Do I think he’s capable of it? Yeah I think he’s capable of it. Do I think he will? I don’t know. 50’s a big number.”
Martinez added that he feels bad for Vladimir Guerrero Jr., another candidate for American League MVP. Guerrero is hitting .344 with 26 home runs.
“He’s having an unbelievable season this year, and it’s kind of getting shadowed by Ohtani,” Martinez said. “It’s just unreal.”
Martinez also chuckled at a question about All-Star voting, where he trailed Ohtani at DH 35 percent to 16 percent in the league’s latest batch of public voting data.
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“I don’t think there’s much of a race right now,” Martinez said. “I’m waving at him.
“He deserves it man. He’s hitting the ball really, really well, and he’s — to me — having the best year in all of Major League Baseball, not just the American League.”
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