Shohei Ohtani

The first player to win an MVP as both a pitcher and hitter — redefining what a baseball player can be.

Shohei Ohtani was born in Oshu, Iwate, Japan in 1994. His father Toru played baseball professionally in Japan. He played for the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters from 2013 to 2017, establishing himself as the finest two-way player in Japanese baseball history before joining Major League Baseball. The Los Angeles Angels signed him in 2017. His 2021 season — 46 home runs, 100 RBI as a hitter, and a 3.18 ERA with 156 strikeouts in 23 starts as a pitcher — won him the unanimous AL MVP and produced the most discussed individual season in baseball in two decades. He won a second MVP in 2023 with the Angels. He signed a 10-year, $700 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in December 2023 — the largest contract in professional sports history. He won the World Series with the Dodgers in 2024. He married Japanese professional basketball player Tanaka Mamiko in early 2024. The revelation that his former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara had used $17 million of Ohtani's funds to pay off illegal gambling debts — without Ohtani's knowledge — was one of the most discussed sports stories of 2024. His interpreter was convicted and sentenced. Ohtani's performance on the field continued without apparent disruption. He is the first player in MLB history to bat .280 or above with 40 or more home runs in multiple seasons while also pitching at an All-Star level.

Power hitter with 100+ mph fastball, rare two-way talent

Revolutionized modern baseball as elite two-way player

• AL MVP 2x (2021,2023)
• World Series (2024)
• AL All-Star 6x
• HR Derby champion (2021)