Shohei Ohtani voted MLB's top designated hitter for 3rd straight year

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Shohei Ohtani won his third consecutive Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award on Thursday, making him one of the only two baseball players in history who have won the award three straight years.

What this means: Ohtani, 29, beat Atlanta Braves designated hitter Marcell Ozuna, who batted .274/.351/.567 with 40 home runs, 29 doubles and 100 RBIs in 142 games, in the award competition this season, according to MLB. In comparison, Ohtahi finished the season with an average of .304/.412/.654 with 44 home runs, 26 doubles, eight triples, 20 stolen bases, 102 runs scored and 95 RBIs in 135 games.

With the recent win, Ohtani joins Hall of Famer David Ortiz as the only two players in history to win three consecutive Edgar Martinez Outstanding DH Awards.

Award’s history: First introduced in 1973 as an Associated Press award before being discontinued in 2000 and subsequently picked up by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, the award is given to outstanding designated hitters in the MLB.

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2023 milestones: Even though Ohtani had to cut his season run short with the Los Angeles Angels due to back-to-back injuries, he still led the American League in on-base percentage, slugging percentage, on-base plus slugging, total bases and home runs.

Ohtani’s Outstanding DH Award came just two weeks after he was named the AL MVP, his second MVP award in the past three years. Ohtani was also voted the Angels’ team MVP for the third consecutive year in October and a two-way MLB All-Star in July.

What’s next: Ohtani is currently a free agent, and it is unclear where he will play next. Various reports claim the Blue Jays, Cubs, Dodgers and Rangers, among a few other teams, are contenders to sign the superstar.

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