MLB pundit names biggest challenger to Shohei Ohtani's 4th MVP award

Major League Baseball (MLB) analyst Justin “JayHay” Havens has identified San Diego Padres star Fernando Tatis Jr. as the leading contender to challenge Shohei Ohtani’s bid for a fourth MVP award this season.

Alongside Tatis, Pete Alonso of the New York Mets has emerged as one of the standout performers in the National League (NL).

While several players are making strong cases, JayHay believes Tatis currently holds an edge in the MVP race.

Speaking on his podcast, JayHay backed Tatis for his well-rounded skill set and versatility.

“I find myself taking a long look at Tatis and Corbin Carroll, and between those two, I’m a little more compelled by the case of Fernando Tatis,” he said. “The Padres were the story of the season not long ago, and Tatis is the best player on that team.”

He emphasised that although the MVP race is tight, Tatis's balanced contributions on both offense and defense strengthen his candidacy.

“I’m just much more comfortable with his candidacy moving forward, and I think it’s mostly a toss-up right now anyway. He’s providing a much broader base of skill and defensive value,” JayHay added.

“I think Fernando Tatis is the biggest threat to the incumbent Shohei Ohtani’s actual MVP candidacy. Moving forward, I feel pretty confident that the NL MVP is going to come out of the NL West.”

Meanwhile, despite a relatively slow start by his own standards, Ohtani remains a dominant force and is expected to regain top form as the season progresses.

With plenty of games still to be played, the Japanese superstar cannot be ruled out of the MVP conversation.