Gambling content 21+. The New York Post may receive an affiliate commi sion if you sign up through our links. Read our for more information. Francisco Lindor is the , but dont expect that to translate to honors. Oddsmakers acro s the betting market, including those at , have Lindor as a wide +500 underdog to win the NL MVP award, with favorite Shohei Ohtani coming in at -900 odds. This is despite Lindor being the NL leader in with 7.4, Jahlil Okafor Jersey ahead of Ohtanis 7.0. Ohtani has a 7.4-6.4 edge in . Adding to the intrigue is that no player in major league history (since the inception of the designated hitter in 1973) has ever won the MVP award without also being a pitcher. Is this season by Ohtani that much better than the historical precedent? Explore More Ohtani is projected to 52 home runs with 115 RBIs and 53 stolen bases, and is hitting .292 with an NL-best .992 OPS. The Japanese star has Lindor beat in every major offensive statistic and it could be hard to vote against him if he registers the first 50-homer, 50-steal season in MLB history. Ohtani has 47 homers and 48 steals with 16 games remaining. The is rooted in the defensive value he provides, in addition to his elite offense. Francisco Lindor added to his MVP case with a game-tying homer Wednesday. AP Lindor is the third-best fielder regardle s of position in all of baseball, . For the clutch stat lovers out there, Lindor is the 20th-most clutch player in baseball, per Fangraphs, while Ohtani ranks 541st. Lindor vs. Ohtani MVP debate Statistic Shohei Ohtani Francisco Lindor Average .292 .268 OPS .992 .831 Runs 116 102 Home Runs 47 31 RBI 104 85 Stolen Bases 48 27 Fangraphs WAR 7.0 7.4 Baseball Reference WAR 7.4 6.5 The closest a designated hitter got to winning the MVP award was in 2005, when David Ortiz garnered 307 voting points compared to Alex Rodriguezs 331. Rodriguez rightly won that, considering his WAR was 9.4, far higher than any other player, including Ortizs 5.2. Still, Ortiz put up 47 home runs and 148 RBIs, with a .300 average and a 1.001 OPS. Shohei Ohtani is eyeing a 50-50 season. AP Learn all you need to know about MLB Betting Read about the Learn all about Ohtani is not pitching this season after undergoing Tommy John surgery and is expected to return to the mound in 2025. Health permitting, Ohtani will probably win this award going away next season and will be favored in future. He won the 2021 and 2023 AL MVP awards with the Angels. LiAngelo Ball Jersey