Shohei Ohtani Voted the Best by MLB Players; Marlins' Jazz Chisholm Most Overrated

Shohei Ohtani isn't pitching this season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery, but his hitting brilliance is undeniable—even among his peers.

MLB players voted Ohtani as baseball's best player in a poll conducted by The Athletic. The Los Angeles Dodgers star received 46 percent of the vote, nearly double the next-best player on the list (Ronald Acuña Jr., 26.5 percent).

"There's no comparison. Everybody has a comp, he's got no comp," one player said.

Another compared Ohtani to Babe Ruth. The reigning AL MVP has been nothing short of sensational after signing the richest contract in sports history with the Dodgers over the winter. Ohtani is hitting 310/.377/.570 with 15 home runs and 41 runs batted in, putting him on pace for his third straight 30-home run season.

Add in the Cy Young-caliber pitching Ohtani provides on the mound, and it's impossible to find a more valuable player when he's fully healthy.

By contrast, players seemingly find Miami Marlins outfielder Jazz Chisholm to be overrated. Chisholm received 20.3 percent of the player vote, nearly double second-place Anthony Rendon (10.2 percent).

There weren't any major quotables, but one player questioned Chisholm being the cover athlete for MLB The Show in 2023. Chisholm has just one All-Star team to his name and has never put together a season with a WAR of 3 or better. Since the start of the 2021 season, Chisholm ranks 87th among hitters in WAR, behind names like Jonah Heim, Mark Canha and Max Kepler, who get a fraction of Chisholm's recognition.