Aesthetic fatigue? MLB Players Choice Awards announced, Shohei Ohtani’s “50 homers and 50 strikeouts” yet leaves him empty-handed.

The MLB Players Choice Awards results are out. Although Los Angeles Dodgers’ two-way star Shohei Ohtani stunned the league with an unprecedented “50 homers and 50 strikeouts” performance, he ultimately missed out on both the “Player of the Year” and “National League Outstanding Player” awards, becoming the biggest snub of the event.

This award, voted on by active players, is regarded as the highest honor among peers, valuing not only statistics but also respect and influence among players. Ohtani previously swept the “Player of the Year” and “American League Outstanding Player” awards in 2021 while with the Angels, but has narrowly missed the top honors for the past three years. In 2022, he lost to Yankees slugger Aaron Judge, and in 2023, after winning the “American League Outstanding Player,” he was bested by Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr.; in his first National League season, despite making history with “54 homers and 59 steals,” he still fell short of the top award.

This season, Ohtani fully revived his two-way role, hitting .282 with 55 homers and an OPS of 1.014, while as a pitcher, he struck out 62 batters over 14 starts with a 2.87 ERA, creating the first-ever “50 homers and 50 strikeouts” record. However, these legendary stats failed to sway the votes. Ultimately, the “Player of the Year” and “American League Outstanding Player” awards went to Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh, who led with 60 homers, while the “National League Outstanding Player” was awarded to Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber, who topped with 56 homers and 132 RBIs.

Sports Illustrated Dodgers reporter J.P. Hoornstra expressed confusion over the results: “Ohtani leads almost all offensive categories but didn’t win.” He suggested the outcome might be due to “a tribute to Schwarber” or “voter fatigue,” causing some players to cast ballots elsewhere, “but this doesn’t change the historic status Ohtani achieved this year.”

In other awards, Pirates’ top prospect Paul Skenes was named National League’s best pitcher, Tigers’ lefty Tarik Skubal took American League’s best pitcher; Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. won the National League Comeback Player award, with Rangers ace Jacob deGrom earning the American League equivalent. Rookie honors went to Braves catcher Drake Baldwin and Athletics rookie Nick Kurtz for the National and American Leagues respectively.

Although again the biggest snub, the consensus is that Ohtani’s “50 homers and 50 strikeouts” achievement transcends mere numbers and is a historic milestone in baseball. Next, all eyes will turn to the Baseball Writers’ Association of America (BBWAA) MVP award, where the battle between Ohtani and Schwarber for the National League MVP is expected to ignite fierce competition once more.