Angels' Shohei Ohtani Tops MLB Jersey Sales for 2023 Season Ahead of Acuña Jr., More

Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani became the first Japanese player to lead Major League Baseball in jersey sales this season.

According to the Associated Press, MLB and the MLB Players Association released a list of the top 20 jersey sellers Friday based on Nike jerseys sold on MLBShop.com since Opening Day.

Ohtani topped the list, followed by Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr., New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge, San Diego Padres outfielder Fernando Tatís Jr. and Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts.

Ranked six through 10 are Houston Astros second baseman José Altuve, Seattle Mariners outfielder Julio Rodríguez, Braves first baseman Matt Olson, Astros third baseman Alex Bregman and Angels outfielder Mike Trout.

Ohtani is the heavy favorite to win his second American League MVP Award in three seasons, as the two-way star slashed .304/.412/.654 with 44 home runs, 95 RBI, 102 runs scored and 20 stolen bases, while also going 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA and 167 strikeouts over 132 innings as a pitcher.

Ohtani won AL MVP with similar numbers in 2021 and would be in line for a three-peat if not for Judge slugging an American League record 62 home runs en route to MVP honors last season.

While Ohtani is nearly a surefire bet to win AL MVP, Acuña is the favorite to win NL MVP after making MLB history this season.

Acuña became the first player to ever have 40 home runs and 70 stolen bases in a single season, plus he is slashing .336/.414/.595 with 105 RBI and 146 runs scored.

Trout, who is Ohtani's Angels teammate, was limited to 82 games this season due to injury, but he continued an impressive streak of having finished inside the top 10 of jersey sales every year since his rookie season of 2012.

While Ohtani is on top of the baseball world currently, he is facing significant uncertainty next season and beyond.

For starters, Ohtani is set to become a free agent this offseason, meaning he could sign elsewhere and create demand for his jersey with a new team.

Also, Ohtani underwent surgery on his throwing elbow last week after being shut down for the remainder of the season, meaning he will likely only be able to hit next season and won't pitch again until 2025.

While that could negatively impact what Ohtani gets on the open market, he is such a spectacular hitter that he still figures to land a massive deal once he hits free agency.