New York (AFP) – Baseball superstar Shohei Ohtani was included this Monday among the finalists for the MVP (Most Valuable Player) awards of the Major League season, to which Latin figures such as the Dominican Junior Caminero and the Cuban Yordan Álvarez also aspire.

First modification: 11/03/2026 - 01:01

Ohtani, leader of the Los Angeles Dodgers, is part of the trio of finalists for the National League MVP along with the Americans Pete Crow-Armstrong, of the Chicago Cubs, and Brice Turang, of the Milwaukee Brewers, brand new World Series champions last week.

The Japanese star, who this regular season had 30 home runs as a hitter and a 1.79 ERA as a pitcher, aspires to a fourth consecutive MVP, which would be the fifth in total of his extraordinary career.

Previously, Ohtani won two awards for the American League in 2021 and 2023, when he was part of the Los Angeles Angels, and two for the National League in 2024 and 2025 with the Dodgers.

At 32 years old, the Japanese only has Barry Bonds ahead of him in the award list, who collected seven MVPs between 1990 and 2004, four of them consecutively.

For Ohtani, a fifth MVP that brings him closer to Bonds' record would sweeten the bitter time in the playoffs he experienced this year with the Dodgers.

The popular Los Angeles franchise abruptly woke up from the dream of a third consecutive championship when it was mercilessly swept by Milwaukee 4-0 in the Championship Series.

In the American League, the finalists for MVP are the American Bobby Witt Jr, of the Kansas City Royals; the Cuban Yordan Álvarez, from the Houston Astros, and the Dominican Junior Caminero, from the Tampa Bay Rays, runners-up last season.

Caminero, who played in his first World Series at age 23, accumulated 42 home runs and 101 RBIs in the regular season.

Álvarez, 29, also has 42 home runs and 106 RBIs on his record.

The MVP winners, chosen by the Baseball Writers Association of North America, will be announced on November 12.

© 2026 AFP

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