Wouldn’t it be funny if the National League had a designated hitter win MVP in back-to-back seasons while the American League has still never had a DH (who didn’t also pitch) win this piece of hardware?
Well, it looks like all roads lead to Shohei Ohtani repeating as NL MVP this season and he’s going to have a decent enough sample of innings on the mound to be considered a two-way player. That would be his third MVP as a two-way player along with the MVP from last season when he was only a DH.
It seems like his biggest competition right now, though, is a fellow DH.
Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber has played left field seven times, but he’s a DH. And he’s having a season that decades ago could have won him MVP. We’ll get to that in a second. For now, the odds show how much of a move Schwarber has made lately.
2025 NL MVP odds
Via BetMGM as of Aug. 6
The batting average probably looks awfully low to many people, but keep in mind the league average slash line in 2025 is .246/.316/.402. Schwarber entered Wednesday hitting .258/.382/.591.
He also leads the NL with 40 homers and leads the majors with 94 RBI. This puts him on pace to end up with 57 home runs and 135 RBI.
A slug-first dude not bringing much defensive value hitting 12 batting average points above league average with 57 bombs and 135 RBI on a team leading its division would’ve been an MVP selection a good number of times through history. A few MVP winners who came to mind?
- In 1969, first baseman/third baseman Harmon Killebrew hit .276 while leading the majors with 49 homers and 140 RBI.
- In 1970, first baseman Boog Powell hit .297 with 35 homers and 114 RBI.
- In 1979, the NL had co-MVPs, but one half of it was first baseman Willie Stargell, who hit .281 with 32 homers and 82 RBI in 126 games.
- In 1987, Cubs right fielder Andre Dawson — for a last-place team, mind you — won NL MVP with a .287 average, 49 homers and 137 RBI. He did steal 11 bases and posted 12 outfield assists, but he posted 4.0 WAR. That’s less than what Schwarber has right now in 2025.
- In 1989, Kevin Mitchell, a left fielder, hit .291 with 47 homers and 125 RBI.
While the voting body has become a little WAR-reliant, it hasn’t been a hard-and-fast rule in recent years, nor should it be. This is to say that while it might seem that looping in WAR — which has a defensive component — would penalize a full-time DH, the voting body seems as open as ever to consider a full-time DH to win MVP.
Through that lens, Schwarber is both a throwback MVP candidate along with a new-school element.
Here’s a side-by-side comparison of the offensive stats right now…
Ohtani vs. Schwarber
- Schwarber: .258/.382/.591, 162 OPS+, 17 2B, 1 3B, 40 HR, 94 RBI, 79 R, 10 SB, 4.1 WAR
- Ohtani: .276/.380/.601, 170 OPS+, 15 2B, 7 3B, 38 HR, 73 RBI, 105 R, 16 SB, 4.5 WAR
Keep in mind, Ohtani, who starts Wednesday and will add to this, also has this line on the mound: 0.4 WAR, 2.40 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 17 K, 5 BB, 15 IP.
There’s often a feel factor to MVP voting and, obviously, Ohtani has off-the-charts MVP feel. I actually think it’s gotten to the point with Schwarber that his at-bats are must-watch TV, though, and there’s a swagger to them. The ball just explodes off his bat and it’s evident the Philly fans agree that watching Schwarber dig in is an event to enjoy.
And where would the Phillies’ offense be without Schwarber? No one else has more than 17 homers to his 40. Nick Castellanos is second with 60 RBI and no one else even has 50. Schwarber has 94. Bryce Harper was hurt for a stretch, Trea Turner has lost some power, J.T. Realmuto looked washed up for a while before a strong July, Castellanos is incredibly inconsistent and every other regular is under 100 OPS+ (league average at getting on base and hitting for power).
And what if Schwarber gets to plateaus like 60 homers and 150 RBI? Those numbers really pop and could influence voters. He’s hot enough right now to believe it’s slightly possible. In 17 games since winning the All-Star Game MVP via a slug-off, Schwarber has hit .318/.408/.833 with 10 homers and 25 RBI.
Ohtani still has every advantage here. His team has a better record. He’s so incredibly important to his team’s offense that he’s basically going through his pitching rehab assignment at the MLB level. He adds value on the mound that Schwarber can’t. It is very interesting, however, to see the move Schwarber is making.
