The Dodgers’ superstar won the award for NL Designated Hitter, a “sad reminder” for Phillies fans of their own free agent’s great, uncapitalized season.
LOS ANGELES — Dodgers fans knew that the NLCS MVP trophy was only the first piece of hardware Shohei Ohtani would walk away with this season. On Thursday, that prediction came true.
Ohtani officially won the 2025 National League Silver Slugger Award for designated hitter, the fourth such award of his career. He was chosen over the Philadelphia Phillies’ Kyle Schwarber and the Milwaukee Brewers’ Christian Yelich.
The win comes as Ohtani is also the current favorite to win the NL MVP award for the third consecutive season, facing his stiffest competition from Schwarber and the Mets’ Juan Soto.
There was speculation that “Ohtani fatigue” might be setting in among awards voters, especially after Schwarber “swiped” the MLBPA Players’ Choice Award for NL Outstanding Player. However, the Silver Slugger voters, at least, were not swayed.
The Statistical Showdown
The case for Schwarber was easy to understand. He had a monstrous season, leading the National League with 56 home runs and all of baseball with 132 RBI.
Ohtani, however, was clearly the “superior all-around bat.” While he was just one homer behind Schwarber at 55 HRs (with 102 RBI), his slash line “lapped” the Phillies slugger’s:
- Ohtani: .282 / .392 / .622 (NL-leading SLG)
- Schwarber: .240 / .365 / .563
Even when “disregarding the pitching side of Ohtani’s game,” there was just no argument as to who was the more valuable overall hitter.
A “Sad Reminder” for Phillies Fans
For Phillies fans, Ohtani’s win is a bitter pill to swallow. Their team had the second-best record in baseball and ran away with the NL East, but “went out with a whimper” at the hands of the Dodgers’ pitching staff in the postseason.
This award is a “sad reminder” of the great offensive year Schwarber had, one the Phillies “couldn’t capitalize on.”
Schwarber, arguably the most beloved player on the 2025 roster, is now heading into free agency. After failing to maximize their World Series window, Phillies fans must now watch their star slugger lose the Silver Slugger—and likely the MVP—to Ohtani, all while he will “very well might be in a new uniform in just a few months’ time.”
