Shohei Ohtani has become the face of Major League Baseball. At a time when the game of baseball was losing craze and popularity among fans, Ohtani brought a new charm to the game. Over the last couple of years, he has been the best MLB player by some distance.

Given his immense contribution to the game in a short period, the LA Angels two-way phenom received his first ESPY’s Best Male Athlete Award on Wednesday night. He defeated the likes of Stephen Curry (NBA champion with Golden State Warriors) and Aaron Rodgers (NFL legend) to win the prestigious award.

Just like the last season, Ohtani is having a blast in the ongoing MLB season too, especially the last couple of days have been very special to the Japanese slugger. Not only did he play an All-Star Game for the American League, but Ohtani also won the prestigious ESPY’s Best Men Athlete Award 2022.

Shohei Ohtani had a hard time addressing thank-you note

Although Shohei Ohtani won this award, his acceptance speech is now a major highlight of the event. Notably, being a Japanese citizen, Ohtani rarely speaks English. Instead, his translator helps him to communicate his messages.

But, during the awards ceremony, Ohtani addressed the acceptance speech himself. And it was a bit awkward for the Angels’ star when he started fumbling while addressing the thank-you note.

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“Congratulations to my fellow nominees,” Ohtani said through a video displayed at the awards show. “It’s an honor to be in the same category as all of you. You’re the best at what you do. Thank you again. Have a wonderful everything, and enjoy your afterparties.”

Not to forget that the reigning American League MVP had also won the 2021 ESPY’s Best MLB Player Award over Bryce Harper, Aaron Judge, and Jorge Soler.

Can Ohtani defend his AL MVP Award?

As things stand, Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees is the frontrunner to win the American League MVP 2022. It’s not that Ohtani is having a poor season. His numbers are even better compared to the last season. But it is Aaron Judge who is having his career-best season.

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With 33 home runs, Judge has been the best hitter in the entire MLB this season. When talking about Ohtani, he has also smacked 19 homers from the plate and collected 123 strikeouts from the mound.

Though there is still an entire second half of the 2022 season, who do you think will win the 2022 AL MVP?