Baseball
Shohei Ohtani Named AP Athlete of the Year for the 4th Time
After hitting a career-high 55 home runs and helping the Dodgers win their second straight World Series, Shohei Ohtani won his third consecutive AP honor.
Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani is the 2025 recipient of The Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year award.
An announcement was made on Tuesday, December 9.
Ohtani was selected for the prestigious AP honor for the fourth time. He previously received the accolade in 2021, 2023 and '24.
As a Los Angeles Angels MLB player, he was named the unanimous winner of the American League Most Valuable Player Award in 2021 and 2023. In his first season with the Dodgers, in 2024, when he became MLB's first 50-50 player (with 54 home runs and 59 steals), Ohtani claimed his first National League MVP Award. Then he repeated as MVP in '25.
During both of the Dodgers' World Series-winning seasons, Ohtani was the unanimous pick in the NL.
As the designated hitter, Ohtani hit .282 with a career-best 55 homers and 102 RBIs this past season. He stole 20 bases and led MLB with 146 runs.
Ohtani was picked as the AP Athlete of the Year on 29 of 47 ballots. Media members conduct the voting.
Shohei Ohtani Tied with a Trio of AP Winners
He's now tied for the most AP yearly awards among male athletes. Other four-time winners are cyclist Lance Armstrong, NBA great LeBron James and golfer Tiger Woods.
"Last year, I said I wanted to win this award again, and I will work hard so that I can win it again next year as well," Ohtani said, according to The Associated Press.
The AP Male Athlete of the Year accolade has been an annual award since 1931. Since that same year, The AP Female Athlete of the Year has also been handed out, and Babe Didrikson Zaharias, who excelled in several sports, was a six-time winner, claiming the honor for the first time in 1932.
In 2025, pole vaulter Mando Duplantis finished second in the AP Male Athlete of the Year balloting with five votes. Duplantis captured his third world title in a row at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. He also set four world records, raising the bar in high-flying style.
Heroics in the Playoffs
After helping lead the Dodgers to their fourth straight NL West Division title, Ohtani made major contributions during the four rounds of the playoffs.
Ohtani hit .265 with eight homers and 14 RBIs in the postseason. He walked 16 times, including nine intentional free passes.
The four-time MVP smacked three homers in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series as the Dodgers completed a sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers. In the same game, he pitched six-plus scoreless innings of two-hit ball and fanned 10 batters.
During the World Series, Ohtani also had another unforgettable game, with two homers, two doubles, three runs and five walks in the 18-inning Game 3 marathon against the Toronto Blue Jays at Dodger Stadium on October 27.
Returning to the starting rotation in mid-June after rigorous physical rehabilitation following elbow surgery in September 2023, Ohtani gradually increased his workload from one inning to six innings in his final regular-season start.
Ohtani made four starts in the postseason, including Game 7 of the World Series. He compiled a 2-1 record with a 4.43 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 20⅓ innings.
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Author: Ed Odeven
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