(Reuters) – Los Angeles Angels two-way standout Shohei Ohtani had the top-selling jersey in Major League Baseball this season, marking the first time a Japanese player topped the list, according to data released by the league and MLB Players Association on Friday.
Ohtani, who is considered a favourite to be named the American League’s most valuable player for the second time in three years, appeared in the top 10 after two prior seasons (2018 and 2021) but until now had never headlined the list.
Ronald Acuna Jr. (Atlanta Braves), Aaron Judge (New York Yankees), Fernando Tatis Jr. (San Diego Padres) and Mookie Betts (Los Angeles Dodgers) rounded out the top five on a list that showed 10 of the top 20 players were born outside of the United States.
Ohtani produced one of the greatest individual seasons in MLB history this year with a .304 batting average and 44 homers while also going 10-5 as a pitcher with a 3.14 ERA.
Earlier this month the Angles ruled Ohtani out for the rest of the season due to injury, and he may have played his last game for the team as he is expected to become one of the most highly sought-after free agents in the close season.
The list tallied sales of Nike player jerseys from MLBShop.com since the season began in late March.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
