Could Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani capture the individual award trifecta this year? By that we mean winning regular-season MVP honors, the American League Cy Young and the MVP of Tuesday's All-Star Game. He is favored for regular-season MVP (-110) and for MVP tonight (+450) from Dodger Stadium, but a +600 third favorite to win the Cy Young behind Tampa Bay's Shane McClanahan (+220; he starts for the AL tonight) and Houston's Justin Verlander (+260).
An Angels player has won All-Star Game MVP five times, with Mike Trout the last to do so in 2015 when he repeated. Ohtani will lead off and hit from the designated hitter spot for Dusty Baker's club; Baker also wanted to start Ohtani on the mound but he is not expected to pitch tonight by his own accord. He wants to be ready to start for the Angels on Friday, when the club opens its second-half schedule at Atlanta. Last year, Ohtani didn't return to the mound until the fourth game after the break.
“I'm pitching the first game out of the All-Star break, so I'd only have two days in between,” Ohtani said through interpreter Ippei Mizuhara. “I obviously prioritize the season over the All-Star Game.”
If you are wondering, Ohtani is 0-for-8 in his career against Dodgers lefty Clayton Kershaw, who starts on the mound for the National League.