As expected, Chicago Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong has been named the NL MVP. Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani was a distant second in the voting as his incredible run of three straight MVP awards (one in the AL, two in the NL) finally came to an end.

But despite being an MVP finalist for the sixth straight season, Ohtani was far from pleased at how his 2026 season played out.

“Honestly, I thought it was a very frustrating season. Obviously, we did not do that well in the playoffs. Personally, I was a little bit frustrated with my overall performance throughout the season. In a nutshell, it wasn't a great season, personally for me,” Ohtani said via a translator in an interview on MLB Network on Thursday.

Ohtani finished the year hitting .275 with 30 home runs and 81 RBIs. He also had arguably his best season as a starting pitcher in MLB, going 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA in 14 starts.

Article Continues Below

However, Ohtani's performance fell off a cliff late in the season, in part due to injury. In September, he hit just .200 with no home runs and one RBI in 30 at-bats. That poor run carried over in the postseason, where he hit just .194 withe one homer and three RBIs. With Ohtani far from his best, the Dodgers were unceremoniously swept by the eventual World Series champion Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS to end their three-peat bid.

The good news is that Ohtani will not need offseason surgery despite his injury concerns. He and the Dodgers will now be hoping that he can fully recover from his injuries and get back to his MVP-caliber play next season.