The MLB Season is going to be here before we know it. Pitchers and catchers reported to Spring Training on February 10th, and after that, there is only 36 days until the Season Opener in Tokyo on March 18th.
With the number of stars in the MLB today, there are many great candidates for MVP in the American League (AL) and the National League (NL), but which of these stars will shine the brightest this year and win the MVP for their respective leagues?
Starting with the AL, Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees makes a strong case for MVP. Judge won MVP for the AL in 2022 when he led the league with a record-breaking 62 home runs. Judge also won MVP in 2024, where he hit for a .322 batting average (the percentage of a player’s at-bats end in a hit. AVG. for short) and hit 58 home runs. While this performance will be hard to top, I think Kansas City’s own Bobby Witt Jr. will bring home the MVP in the AL next year. In 2024, Bobby led the league in AVG. batting .332. In the same season, he hit 31 home runs and stole 31 bases.
In the NL, it is hard to bet against the Japanese star and the current face of baseball, Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani is currently the only player in the MLB that both pitches and hits, and the most fantastic part is that he is one of the best in the league at both. However, due to an injury, he didn’t pitch in 2024. The last time Ohtani pitched in an MLB game was in 2023. He posted an above-average 3.14 ERA (earned run average or average runs allowed in a game as a pitcher) and 167 strikeouts in 132 innings pitched over the year.
As a hitter in 2024, Shohei was outstanding. He hit for a .310 AVG. with 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases. He was in the top five in the league in all three categories, so he has been the NL MVP for two straight years. For the same reason, I predict a third straight MVP award for Shohei Ohtani in 2025.
There have been a few notable free-agent signings this offseason, with the two most prominent being Juan Soto and Rōki Sasaki. Soto signed a 15-year, 765 million dollar contract with the New York Mets. This is the largest contract ever signed by an MLB player. I think Soto was a good addition to the Mets because he hits for a lot of power and generally has a good batting average. Soto is most known for his ability to get on base, whether a hit or a walk.
Rōki Sasaki was the other big signing this offseason. Sasaki was signed out of the Nippon Professional Baseball League (NPBL) where he was by far the best pitcher and possibly the best player. Sasaki signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers for 6.5 million dollars. I expect him to make an impact quickly as I have my eye on him for rookie of the year in the National League.
Sasaki’s signing with the Dodgers leads me to my next prediction. Who will win the World Series? With the strength of the Dodgers roster on paper, it would be challenging for me to say that anyone else will be good enough to beat them in the playoffs, which is why I believe that the Los Angeles Dodgers will be your 2025 World Series Champions for the second year in a row.
