Things are heating up in the American League Most Valuable Player race as we head towards the All Star break, and Shohei Ohtani continues to state his case.
The Angels pitcher and hitter extraordinaire recorded 10 strikeouts, two RBIs and a stolen base in his team's win over the Marlins on Tuesday.
According to ESPN Stats and Info, the feat hasn't been accomplished in over 100 years.
Ohtani moved to +225 in the MVP market, only listed behind Aaron Judge (-130). Two weeks ago, Ohtani was closer to +350.
On the mound, Ohtani pushed his record to 8-4 with a 2.44 ERA and 111 strikeouts. At the plate, he has 18 home runs with a .839 OPS.
Judge remains the favorite though. The Yankees slugger is tearing up the league with 30 home runs and a .993 OPS.
He's been in firm control of the market for a considerable portion of the season now.
However, Ohtani has stayed close behind. The 2021 MVP is looking to become the first player to win back-to-back MVP awards since Miguel Cabrera accomplished the task from 2012-2013.
It wouldn't be an AL MVP race without Mike Trout. The perennial contender is listed at +1200. Yordan Alvarez is in between Trout and the top contenders at +650.
Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers is listed at +2000 and Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez trails close behind at +2500.
Action Network MLB expert Sean Zerillo is holding a Judge MVP ticket from the preseason. He also holds a ticket on Jose Ramirez, but if he didn't, he'd still be targeting the Guardians star in the current market.
"Ramirez is still the best value bet for me," he said. "He's projected to finish third in the American League in WAR, yet he's listed behind Devers and Alvarez. The odds are always crazy for Jose."
