Shohei Ohtani (31, LA Dodgers) of Major League Baseball was unanimously named the National League (NL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) on the 14th. It is the fourth MVP of his career. He has risen to second all-time for the most individual MVPs. He pushed stars who had won three MVPsAlbert Pujols, Alex Rodriguez, Yogi Berra, and othersdown into a tie for third. Above Ohtani stands only Barry Bonds, who won MVP seven times.

The question now is whether Ohtani can indeed surpass Bonds as well.

Bonds, at age 36 in 2001, won MVP four straight seasons through 2004. It is a record without precedent. Across MLB history, no player other than Bonds has won MVP after turning 35. Ohtani will be 32 next year. To surpass Bonds’s seven MVPs, he must stay healthy and maintain his performance into his mid-to-late 30s. He must sustain not just a respectable level but the league-best level he has now to chase the record. It is anything but easy. As the league’s only two-way player, the physical burden is that much heavier.

Being in the NL is a positive. The NL does not have Aaron Judge (New York Yankees). There are many strong contendersKyle Schwarber (Philadelphia), Juan Soto (New York Mets), Ronald Acuna Jr. (Atlanta)but none to the degree of Judge. Judge won the third MVP of his career this season by batting .331 with 53 home runs.

Two-way play is both a burden and a major opportunity. Earlier, The Athletic, assessing Ohtani’s future MVP chances, wrote that “even one of the rolesstarting pitcher or middle-of-the-order hitteris demanding enough, and doing both at once becomes an enormous advantage when evaluating a player’s value,” and added that “even if Ohtani produces only slightly eye-catching results, voters will naturally be drawn to the rarity and difficulty.” It also viewed the desire to see Bonds’s nameentangled in a performance-enhancing drugs controversycome down from the top of the MVP record list as something that could work in Ohtani’s favor.

Ohtani’s Dodgers teammate Mookie Betts recently said on MLB Network, “If Ohtani keeps pitching, just give Ohtani the MVP every year.” That is how overwhelming Ohtani’s value is when he also takes the mound.