Alex Rodriguez explains why the Dodgers are good for baseball
USA TODAY’s Ralphie Aversa chats with MLB legend Alex Rodriguez about the dominant nature of the Dodgers roster.
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Kyle Schwarber of the Philadelphia Phillies finished second in National League MVP voting for the 2025 season.
Results were announced by the Baseball Writers Association of America on Nov. 13.
Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter/pitcher Shohei Ohtani won the 2025 NL MVP Award, receiving all 30 first-place votes for a total of 420.
It’s Ohtani’s third consecutive MVP Award and fourth overall. He won the American League award in 2023 and National League award in 2024. Schwarber finished second with 260. New York Mets slugger Juan Soto finished third with 231.
Schwarber had a huge 2025 season for the Phillies in his free-agent year, leading the National League with 56 home runs and 132 RBI. He had an OPS of .928.
Schwarber also had a flare for the dramatic.
- During the 2025 All-Star Game Schwarber was 0-for-2 with a walk, but after the game was tied at 6-6, the National League and American League teams squared off in a home-run derby style All-Star Swing Off to decide the game. Schwarber hit three home runs to give the NL a commanding lead and eventually the victory.
- On Aug. 28, Schwarber had an historic night, hitting four home runs and driving in nine during the Phillies’ game against the Atlanta Braves as the Phillies, 19-4.
- During the postseason, with the Phillies down 2-0 in the National League Division Series, Schwarber rallied the Phillies with two home runs, including a 455-foot blast off Dodgers ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto at Dodger Stadium. The homer seemed to wake the Phillies from their offensive malaise as they won, 8-2.
Shohei Ohtani’s MVP season
Ohtani finished the season with a .282 batting average, a National League-leading 146 runs, 55 homers, 102 RBI and a 1.014 OPS.
On the mound, he was 1-1 with a 3.14 ERA in 14 starts for the Dodgers. He struck out 62 batters and walked nine in 47 innings.
