As soon as the World Series concluded each year, Ohtani’s relevance would resurface during awards season as he collected his annual array of honors, prompting discourse about how we had yet to see the planet’s most talented player on baseball’s biggest stage.

It’s been a remarkable year for Shohei Ohtani, who signed a $700 million deal with the Dodgers last December. But the most remarkable part is that it began with a career-threatening controversy.

New York Yankees star Aaron Judge is likely to take home his second American League MVP award in the last three years, but he believes the title of the