With June almost over, the National League MVP race is heating up, with Shohei Ohtani and Bryce Harper vying to join an elite list.
A hop, skip, and a jump away from the All-Star break, the two are among the handful who have distinguished themselves from the rest of the field for the honour. If Ohtani or Harper win the award, they will become the 12th player in major league history to win MVP three or more times.
The Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter leads the National League in home runs (22), batting average (.321), slugging percentage (.625), and OPS (1.022). Ohtani is on track to complete the season with 47 home runs and 117 RBI.
He has also been on fire lately. Ohtani is 12-for-23 at the plate over the last six games, with three doubles, five home runs, 11 RBI, and six walks. He faces the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday.
Meanwhile, he took his previous team deep for the second night in a row.
Harper, on the other hand, has recently been equally harsh. While playing first base, he’s on track to end the season with 38 home runs, 108 RBI, and 103 walks.
Harper is batting.362 and slugging.652 in 69 plate appearances this June. During that time, he has five extra-base hits and five home runs, including a monster second-deck bomb in the Philadelphia Phillies’ 12-1 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks on Saturday.
The long ball was his 18th of the season, a total he did not achieve until August 5 last year.
Of course, it is still early, and a lot can happen between now and the end of the season. Other worthy contenders include Marcel Ozuna, who is hitting.312/.389/.598 with 21 home runs and 64 RBI for the Atlanta Braves (42-32).
While Ozuna and the Braves lead the wildcard race with a 42-32 record, Ohtani and Harper’s teams are at the top of the National League standings.
Following Saturday’s games, the Dodgers led the NL West (47-31) by 7.5 games over the San Diego Padres (41-40). However, with Mookie Betts’ departure, things in Los Angeles could become more difficult down the stretch.
Harper and the Phillies lead the NL East by seven games over the Braves and are 50-26 overall. Meanwhile, they are only a half-game behind the New York Yankees (52-27) for baseball’s best record.
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