In a season already filled with milestones, Shohei Ohtani captured another major award that cements his place in baseball history.NL
Shohei Ohtani Adds Another Chapter to His Legend with 2025 Hank Aaron Award
LOS ANGELES – On a night already packed with accolades, Shohei Ohtani added yet another piece of hardware to his growing collection: the 2025 Hank Aaron Award. The honor, given to the top offensive performer in each league, capped off a historic evening for the Dodgers’ two-way superstar, who was also named the National League MVP for the second straight year and received the Edgar Martinez Outstanding Designated Hitter Award.
Let’s be clear – this wasn’t just a great season. This was Ohtani operating at the absolute peak of his powers.
He slashed .282/.392/.622 across 158 games, with 25 doubles, nine triples, 55 home runs, 146 runs scored, and 102 RBIs. His 1.014 OPS was second in all of Major League Baseball, trailing only Aaron Judge.
And his 172 wRC+? That’s elite-tier production, the kind that anchors a lineup and breaks open games on a nightly basis.
The 55 home runs weren’t just a personal best – they made history. Ohtani became the first player in MLB history to hit exactly 55 homers in a single season.
That swing also rewrote the Dodgers’ record books, surpassing the 54 bombs he launched just a year ago. Back-to-back seasons of 50+ home runs in Dodger blue?
That’s not just rare – that’s iconic.
This marks the third consecutive Hank Aaron Award for Ohtani, a streak that began in his final season with the Angels in 2023. He now joins an ultra-exclusive club as one of only four players to win the award at least three times.
The others? Alex Rodriguez, Barry Bonds, and Aaron Judge.
That’s a Mount Rushmore of modern power hitters, and Ohtani’s name fits right in.
Even more impressively, Ohtani becomes just the second player in MLB history to win the Hank Aaron Award in three straight seasons, following Rodriguez’s run from 2001 to 2003. It’s yet another testament to Ohtani’s sustained dominance – not just over a few hot months, but over multiple seasons, in both leagues, with two different franchises.
The competition for the 2025 NL Hank Aaron Award was no cakewalk. The list of finalists reads like an All-Star roster: Pete Alonso, Corbin Carroll, Geraldo Perdomo, Kyle Schwarber, Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr., Kyle Tucker, Trea Turner, and Christian Yelich. All of them had standout seasons in their own right, but none matched the combination of power, consistency, and game-changing impact that Ohtani brought to the plate night after night.
What we’re witnessing isn’t just a great player having a great year. We’re watching a generational talent redefine what’s possible in the modern game. Ohtani isn’t just racking up awards – he’s making history, rewriting records, and doing things we’ve never seen before.
And if the last three seasons are any indication, he’s not slowing down anytime soon.
